Penguin Underwear
by KassidyRayne
Summary: Kumiko didn't expect anything in particular to happen as she waited outside her dorm during a fire drill at 3AM. She especially didn't expect to end up sitting next to a half-naked Reina, and she definitely didn't think one awkward encounter would end up changing their relationship forever. Reina/Kumiko University AU
1. Fire Drill

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to Hibike! Euphonium or its characters.**

 **~ CHAPTER 1 ~**

It was a cool, calm night on the campus of Kitauji University; the many young people dwelling within its halls were sleeping soundly in preparation for whatever responsibilities that awaited them once the sun rose on the horizon. Oumae Kumiko was among these slumbering students. The young red-head was curled up underneath her warm covers, dreaming of beautiful scenes and beautiful people. She unconsciously let out a deep sigh, sinking deeper into her warm bed; her dreamy exhale seemed to only add to the relaxing, quiet night that surrounded the school…

 _BRRNG BRRNG BRRNG_

"Attention, students, this is a fire drill. Please exit the building through the designated areas in a calm, orderly manner. I repeat, this is a fire drill."

A unanimous groan could be heard from all the students in the building as they slowly climbed out of their warm beds and stepped into the cold evening air.

Kumiko, on the other hand, was still sleeping soundly.

Katou Hazuki, Kumiko's roommate, huffed as she began to make her way out of her own bed, turning on the light as she did so. "Kumikoooo," she groaned as she saw her unconscious roommate.

 _Lucky…_

After putting on her bedroom slippers in order to keep her feet from completely freezing, Hazuki shuffled over to her friend's bed and began poking the other girl's face.

"Ku-" _poke_ "mi-" _poke_ "koooo…" _poke poke poke_

The red-head groaned and tried to pull her blankets over her head in order to prevent anymore pokes from disturbing her peaceful slumber, but Hazuki wouldn't have that. She quickly grabbed the blanket and flung it off the bed, causing her roommate to gasp at the sudden chill in the air.

"Hey-!"

Before she could protest any further, Hazuki began pulling her off the bed. "C'mon, c'mon. It's a fire drill and the quicker we get outside the quicker we can get back _inside_ and go back to _sleep._ "

Kumiko couldn't really argue with that logic (though she wanted to). Huffing, as her friend had done just moments earlier, she sluggishly got out of her bed and put on her shoes as she followed her friend out the door.

Looking at the clock as she walked past, she noticed that it was nearly 3AM.

 _They're trying to kill us._

The two girls stepped into the hallway and joined the crowd of half-asleep students exiting the building.

 _It looks like a scene from a zombie movie out here,_ Kumiko thought as she looked around, crossing her arms as she began to feel the cool breeze. There were dozens of people standing - and sitting - around the outside of the dorm building, all looking as tired and grumpy as she currently felt. Not really paying attention to where she was going, Kumiko found a spot under a nearby tree to sit until they were told they could go back inside.

She looked around and noticed Hazuki talking to Tsukamoto Shuichi and his roommate. Kumiko grimaced and looked away, she had never been able to understand was her roommate saw in her childhood friend. Kumiko had known Shuichi since they were little, and he hadn't been that bad back then, but as he grew up he got more and more annoying.

 _Maybe I'm being too hard on him,_ she thought for a moment as she looked back over at the pair, only to be met by Shuichi looking straight at her with a stern look on his face. She quickly dismissed her previous thought. _Nope, he's annoying._ She looked at him dryly before looking away again, _I don't know what he wants and I don't want to._

Yawning, Kumiko closed her eyes and leaned against the tree behind her. _Wake me up when we can go back inside,_ she thought to absolutely no one.

After a few minutes, the red-head heard a sigh come from her right. Kumiko opened her right eye to be greeted by a sight she had definitely _not_ been expecting.

Immediately to her right, in all her glory, stood Kousaka Reina. However, it was not the person nor the proximity that caused Kumiko to go red from head to toe; no, it was the fact that, not only was Reina standing _right there_ , but she also had on no pants.

 _No. Pants…_

Kumiko swallowed hard as she willed herself not to keep staring, but that proved to be almost impossible.

This wasn't the first time that Kumiko had seen the dark-haired wonder that stood beside her, in fact, they had several classes together; and she reacted pretty much the same way internally whenever she saw her. Kousaka Reina was, for lack of a better word, extremely hot. Her skin was a pale, creamy color that looked so soft that it would put every baby's bottom to shame. Her hair was long, shiny, and _very_ black - but somehow it didn't make her look sickly pale. No, Reina still managed to shine like the north star on every occasion. Even now: half-asleep, hair pulled into a messy bun with a whole section out of the tie, an old t-shirt, and penguin-covered underwear - Reina still looked exquisite.

Unaware that she was _still staring_ , Kumiko noticed how completely unphased the other girl - no, woman - was at the fact that she was half-naked in front of half of the school. Though she did seem cold, _which makes sense considering the whole no pants thing_ _…_

Kumiko chuckled nervously to herself as she continued to basically check out the _woman_ beside her. However, her laughter quickly ceased when she looked towards Reina's face only to meet her steady gaze. The red-head's throat went dry under the scrutiny of the other woman, feeling every bit like a deer caught in the headlights.

 _Is she mad? She's gotta be mad,_ Kumiko panicked internally as the black-haired beauty continued to look at her with a blank expression. _Totally mad…_

As if hearing the cry let out within Kumiko's head, the announcement was then made that the students could go back inside. Reina immediately looked away and began walking back towards the building as the announcement was made.

As if released from a spell, Kumiko let out a breath of air. _Woah._

She watched the penguin underwear-clad Reina as she headed back inside, either not noticing or not caring about the stares and snickers that followed her as she passed the other students.

At that moment, Hazuki joined her roommate and followed her gaze. "Wow, she really doesn't care about anything, huh?" she said with a chuckle, looking back at Kumiko, only to find her gone. "Wha-? Kumiko?"

The red-head in question had already begun making her own way back into the dorm building and, as if against her own will, was following Reina.

 _At least we live on the same floor, so this isn't_ too _weird…_

Even under that reasoning, the red-head still felt like a creep. However, she knew she wouldn't stop. When she saw Reina, it was like she was under hypnosis and the only thing she could see, hear, think about was Reina. _Reina, Reina, Reina_ _…_

The two had never spoken, never even made eye contact before that night. They had three classes together and they sat on opposite sides of the room in all of them, but Kumiko always made sure to sit behind the other so that she could look at her without having to turn around. Needless to say, the red-head had a very hard time concentrating in those three classes.

She already knew where Reina's room was, it was only five doors down from her own, on the left. She had seen the her leave there on many occasions, whether she was going to class, to do laundry, or go to her part-time job. In fact, Kumiko had subconsciously began going out for errands or to "get some air" at the times that she had usually seen the other walk out of her room. The dark-haired woman had held the door open for her one day as they left the building at the same time. Kumiko had blushed profusely, but she was sure the other didn't notice (or she hoped, at least).

Basically, the two were strangers. Kumiko knew that, she knew it better than anyone. Nevertheless, she continued to follow Reina up the stares, with no idea why or what she was even planning to do once they reached the other's room. _Almost there_ _…_

Reina reached their floor and made her way to her own room, Kumiko followed.

Reina stopped at her door and began unlocking the door, but stopped when she noticed a presence beside her. She looked up and saw a blushing Kumiko standing a few feet from her with a determined yet scared look on her face.

Kumiko opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. She opened it again, again, and again, but still nothing came out. Reina waited patiently with that same blank look on her face as before.

The red-head swallowed hard and said the first thing that came to mind.

"I-I like your underwear!"

Silence.

 _Oh my god._

The two looked at each other, both with similar looks of surprise on their faces (though Kumiko may have looked a bit more surprised).

"U-um.." Kumiko tried to salvage the situation, but frankly she was afraid of what else she might say. So she settled for sputtering a _Goodnight!_ and scurried off to her own room, not daring to look behind her.

After getting into her room as quickly as humanly possible, Kumiko paused and leaned against the door. She then groaned and covered her face with her hands, completely immersed in embarrassment. _"_ _I like your underwear_ _"_ _?! What was that?!_

Letting out another long, miserable groan, Kumiko made her way to her bed and fell (well, flopped) onto it, grabbing her blanket and hiding underneath it. She groaned once more before sticking her hand out from the cover to turn off the light, ready to fall back asleep and forget the night completely.

 _That settles it, I'm never talking to her again._

With that thought, Kumiko did her best to sink back into a peaceful slumber (albeit not nearly as peaceful as _before_ ). However, unbeknownst to Kumiko, her dark-haired counterpart five doors down fell asleep with a much different thought in mind.


	2. European History

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Hibike! Euphonium or its characters.**

 **~ Chapter 2 ~**

" _Kumiko._ _"_

 _The voice was but a faint whisper, but she recognized it instantly. It sounded so distant, yet felt so near - like she was right next to her. However, Kumiko knew no one was there, for when she turned, she was only greeted by darkness._

" _Kumiko_ _…"_

 _This time it came from the left; I turned, but again - nothing._

" _Kumiko!_ _"_

 _At that moment, she finally saw her. Standing right in front of the red-head, only an arms length away, stood an angel. She was dressed in a white dress, which complimented her pale skin in a way that seemed impossible. Her black hair flowed as if a gentle breeze was passing through, though Kumiko was sure there was none._

 _Then, in a blink of an eye, the angel was right in front of her; so close she could feel each shallow breath on her face, Kumiko, on the other hand, couldn_ _'_ _t bring herself to take even a single breath. The angel raised her hand and placed it on Kumiko_ _'_ _s cheek, looking her straight in the eye._

" _Kumiko,_ _"_ _the dark-haired angel leaned in even closer,_ _"_ _I-_ _"_

"Kumiko!"

The red-head gasped and jolted up from her bed, hitting something hard as she did so. She heard a squeal and looked up to see Hazuki holding her head. _Oh, so that_ _'_ _s what I hit_ _…_

"Aaaah, that hurt!" Kumiko watched with a yawn as Hazuki danced around the room with a hand on her forehead. She stopped and pouted at her roommate, "That's the thanks I get for trying to keep you from missing class…"

Kumiko stopped mid-yawn. She looked towards the clock on her desk and realized with a start that she only had about thirty minutes until history class. _Crap!_

With a small squeal, the red-head jumped off her bed and ran to her side of the closet in order to find something to wear.

Hazuki sighed. "Honestly, Kumiko," she said in a soft, yet playful voice, "Taki-sensei is gonna kill you one day for always being late to his class."

Kumiko ignored her friend for the time-being as she threw on a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt.

Hazuki was right though, she had to admit. Taki-sensei was the youngest and, in the opinion of almost every girl - and a few boys - on campus, the hottest professor at Kitauji University. Due to this, most people assumed he was also a very laid-back and nice professor. The thought made Kumiko scoff to herself as she ran to the bathroom and brushed her teeth quickly.

Taki-sensei was anything _but_ laid-back and nice; he was the most irritating, unfair, unpredictable professor - no, person - on the _planet._ His class was European History, which, when she had first signed up, Kumiko was sure would be an easy A. _Boy, was I wrong_ _…_

At this point, the red-head was barely managing a C- in the class. It also didn't help that she was late about half of the time - which resulted in her having to slip in to the class during the middle of one of his oh-so-interesting lectures. Which then resulted in him stopping mid-sentence to give her his famous passive-aggressive, "you're totally dead" smiles until she sat down.

With an exhale, Kumiko finished gather her things and ran out the door, only sparing a slight wave in the direction of her roommate - who had been watching the red-head with not-so-slight amusement as she rushed to get ready.

The sprint to history class had become tradition on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so Kumiko had learned the perfect route to get to there as fast as possible (though she was usually still late).

Finally, with only two minutes to spare, Kumiko reached the door to Room 206.

"Here!" Kumiko sighed, leaning against the door frame. She looked up and was surprised to see that Taki-sensei hadn't arrived. _Well, that_ _'_ _s a relief._

The red-head made her way to her usual seat in the back, attempting to catch her breath as she did so. She flopped down onto her seat and leaned her head on the table. Glancing up towards the front row, she noticed that Reina hadn't arrived yet either. Sighing for what felt like the millionth time since she woke up thirty minutes before, Kumiko closed her eyes.

Another reason that Kumiko was so very annoyed by the class she was currently waiting to start, was that she hadn't even had any interest to take it in the first place. During first semester, she and Reina only had one class together, and they one row apart. On occasion, the red-head would overhear the other's rare conversations with those around her. At this point, Kumiko's crush on said person had already become quite prevalent, so when she heard that Reina was planning on taking European History in room 200b with Taki-sensei…well, long story short, she was only in this class to get more of a chance to see Reina on a daily basis.

At that moment, the memories of last night began flooding her mind.

" _I-I like your underwear!_ _"_

Groaning, Kumiko put her hands over her head in a futile attempt to hide herself away from the rest of the world. _Maybe I should drop this class. I mean, after last night, I don_ _'_ _t think I_ _'_ _ll even be able to look at her without_ _…_

She groaned again and contemplated leaving the class right then and there.

At that moment, however, she heard the door open and looked up to see Taki-sensei taking his place at the front of the room.

"Good morning, everyone," he greeted in his cheery, yet probably fake voice. He was greeted with a few half-hearted replies, cuing him to begin taking role. He began calling out each students name in his ever-so-polite voice, causing the many to almost tremble as he called out their names. _Gross._

"Oumae Kumiko."

"Here," the red-head replied lazily. At her reply, Taki-sensei looked up with a somewhat surprised look on his face, as if to say _"_ _Oh, you_ _'_ _re actually on time today?_ _"_ This caused a slight grimace to form on Kumiko's face, _So annoying._

He continued calling out names as Kumiko closed her eyes once again and started to get comfortable in her seat, preparing for a long and boring hour and a half.

"Kousaka Reina."

"Here."

Kumiko's eyes snapped open and she quickly turned to her right, where there was usually an empty seat. Today, however, the seat was occupied.

Not only was it occupied, but sitting only a foot away from her was none other than the dark-haired angel herself. Kumiko swallowed, unable to full understand what was happening.

At that moment, Reina turned to meet Kumiko's surprised look, causing the red-head to quickly look away with a flushed face.

 _What is going on_ _…_ _.?_

Taki-sensei soon finished with role and began lecturing. However, Kumiko barely noticed this because she was still having a hard time breathing correctly.

Usually, Reina sat at the very front of the class, never even looking back for a second. Kumiko was used to this, she liked this, because she was (obviously) not very good at actually dealing with the other woman. Hell, they had barely made eye contact before their awkward encounter the night before. Honestly, Kumiko was pretty sure Reina had no idea who she was before then. _So why did she choose to sit here all of a sudden?!_

The red-head, who at this point had completely given up on napping throughout the class as she had intended to before, was trying her hardest not to look to her right. However, this was proving to be an extremely difficult task. The other woman was so close that Kumiko could faintly smell her perfume, which surprised her. _I didn_ _'_ _t know she wore perfume_ _…_

It had a very distinct smell, like lavender mixed with a hint of regular soap, however there was also another smell mixed within the others - something that seemed to be strictly _Reina._ It was intoxicating.

Not only could she smell the dark-haired woman, she could sometimes hear her breath slightly, calmly. Sometimes she would let out a very quiet sigh when she mis-copied something the professor said, or when she others in the class would begin giggling quietly to one another.

An hour went by and Kumiko was sure it was the most stressful hour of her life. She spent the entire time trying her best (well, maybe not her _best_ ) to listen to Taki-sensei as he talked about…something historical, but just ended up being hyper-aware of the person next to her. Every shift, sigh, adjustment, or movement in general caused Kumiko's eyes to flick towards Reina. Luckily, the red-head was almost positive that the other hadn't noticed Kumiko's struggles. _Just another thirty minutes, I can do this_ _…_ _._

Fate didn't seem to want to give the girl a break, however, for at that moment Taki-sensei made an announcement.

"For your midterm grade, I want you all to develop your own research on a European culture of your choice," he said as he began handing out the outline for the assignment. "The research should include the history of each culture and how it is incorporated in that culture today. You will have to present your information in front of the class, so please keep this in mind when you begin preparing."

An audible groan was released from the class at Taki-sensei's declaration, causing him to chuckle. "I understand this is not ideal, but I promise you it won't be too difficult. In fact, I've decided to make it even easier on you all." This caused the class to come to attention.

As he finished handing out the papers, he turned to the class once more. "I will allow you all to choose a partner to do this project with, so that one person won't have to do all the work." A wave of excited and relieved whispers erupted from the class at that time. Taki-sensei raised his hand as to silence the room. "Choose your partners wisely, students. You don't want to be stuck with someone who will slack off and make you do all the work."

At that, Kumiko could have sworn he looked directly at her for a moment. _That better have been my imagination_ _…_ _Jerk._

Taki-sensei then clapped his hands together, "Alright, for the rest of the class you may get together with the partner of your choice and begin deciding which culture you'd like to research. When you're done, tell me who your partner will be and your topic, and then you may leave."

With that, the students began looking around for their partners; some already had someone in mind, while others simply waited to see who else was available. Kumiko was among the latter group.

With a sigh, she propped her head on her hand and waited until she could spot someone else who was in need of a partner. _I hate this kind of stuff._

"Kumiko."

The red-head stopped breathing. _Was that..?_

She slowly turned to her right and almost fell off her chair when she met Reina's eyes with her own.

"Um.."

"That's your name, isn't it?"

All Kumiko could think about was the fact that this person's voice was so beautiful, so rich, so _sexy._ It took few minutes for her to register what Reina had actually said.

"O-oh! Yeah. Kumiko, that's me," she cleared her throat, trying to cover up her awkwardness - it wasn't working.

Reina nodded once and then turned to the open textbook sitting in front of her, "I was thinking we could do either Ireland or Romania, since they both have a lot of interesting and easily-accessible information," she then turned back to Kumiko with her usual blank expression. "What do you think?"

… _..What?_

Kumiko's mind was blank. Was Reina talking about the project? Why would she talk about that with her? Shouldn't she be asking her partner about-?

The red-head's eyes went wide. _Wait. Is she..? Am I_ _…_ _?_

"W-wait, so are we…partners?" Kumiko asked plainly. Reina's expression remained blank, however there was a hint of mirth within her eyes as she looked at the red-head.

"Of course."

And that was it. Kumiko remained still as Reina continued to talk about the assignment.

 _Oh. Okay._

The red-head slowly came back to life and looked at her dark-haired counterpart as she wrote down their names and topic - which Kumiko hadn't caught when the other was discussing it just a moment before - on a sheet of scrap paper. As she watched, she couldn't help but notice the way Reina wrote her name. The woman's handwriting was unsurprisingly very neat, with cute little flicks and curves at the end of every letter. Kumiko thought that her name had never looked so beautiful on a piece of paper before then.

"-so that we can talk about the project later this week."

Kumiko blinked and looked away from her name, realizing she had missed what the other had said. "I-I'm sorry, what?"

Reina didn't seem to be annoyed with Kumiko's lack of attention as she began to repeat what she had just said, "I was saying that we should exchange numbers so that we can work on the assignment later this week."

However, all Kumiko really caught from that was "exhange numbers."

"U-um, yeah! Sure!" the red-head fumbled to reach for a pen and paper so that she could write out her number in her much messier handwriting. She handed it to Reina as she accepted the other's number at the same moment, which - of course - looked a lot better than her own.

Kumiko looked down at the assortment of numbers on the paper in her hands as if it was Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket. _This is Reina_ _'_ _s phone number. Her actual number._

She looked up and noticed the other girl rising from her seat so that she could give Taki-sensei their topic. Following the other's lead, Kumiko shoved her belongings in her back pack and clumsily left her own seat.

She watched as Reina handed the paper to the professor and then headed for the door without looking back, Kumiko's number in hand.

With a dumbfounded look, Kumiko watched the other leave for a moment before snapping out of her reverie and heading for the door herself.

On her walk to her next class, she reflected on what had just happened and concluded that she, without a doubt, had _no clue what had just happened._

However, as she looked at the number in her hand, Kumiko gave a small smile and decided not to dwell on what had happened and instead to just enjoy the fact that she now had an excuse to talk to Reina outside of class.

 _Then again, that_ _'_ _s just more opportunities for me to make a fool out of myself again_ _…_

Cringing slightly, she decided to push that thought away from now and focus on the walk ahead of her.

 **A/N:**

 **Hi! I just want to thank everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed the story so far! I'm so excited that you guys are enjoying these two as much as I am :3 I do want to let you all know that this won't be an extremely long story, most likely (though I tend to add some things as I go along so it might end up a little longer than I originally anticipated); but I do know how it's going to go and I'm super excited for you guys to find out!**

 **I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story and let me know what you think! :3**

 **Special thanks to reviewers: _Psykoakuma, not a straight trumpet, YuriLover24, Aoizora, angel0wonder_**


	3. Smile

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hibike! Euphonium or any of its characters.**

 **~ Chapter 3 ~**

Thursday morning could not come any sooner for Kumiko. Ever since the miracle that had occurred two days prior, she had been uncharacteristically excited for the next class. In fact, she had actually arrived ten minutes early - which she almost regretted as she waited for the majority of the class, including both Taki-sensei and the only person she actually came to the class for.

With a yawn, Kumiko looked down at her phone for what was probably the thousandth time since that Tuesday. Ever since she and Reina had exchanged phone numbers, she couldn't stop hoping that the other would text her or call her or _something_. She realized that she could have tried contacting Reina herself, but merely laughed at the idea. _I_ _'_ _m not nearly brave enough for_ that.

Eventually, Taki-sensei arrived, followed suite by Reina, who took her seat next to Kumiko like last time. Though she had been hoping the other would sit there, she still couldn't regulate her breathing as she watched Reina take out her supplies.

Taki-sensei called out role as usual and then addressed the class,

"Today will be dedicated solely to working on your assignment from our previous class, so get to work."

This both excited and scared the _hell_ out of the red-head. _A whole hour and a half of talking to Reina_ _…_

Swallowing hard, Kumiko turned to Reina in preparation to start the conversation. However, she stopped when she noticed something about the other, something that she _really_ didn't want to notice for her own sake.

Reina looked up at the red-head, completely unaware of the other girl's struggles. "Have you done any research yet, Kumiko?"

Kumiko didn't hear what she said though, for the red-head was simply trying to stare at _anything_ other than Reina; or rather, her chest.

Today, the dark-haired girl had chosen to wear a tank top and a cardigan. Kumiko knew that this was nothing to get worked up about. She knew that she shouldn't be so distracted by something so simple as cleavage. She knew this, and yet was unable to look at the other woman for fear of her own terrible will power.

"Kumiko?"

With a start, Kumiko locked eyes with the other woman, trying her best to keep them there, "U-um, yes?"

"Have you done any research yet?"

Not trusting her own voice - or eyes, for that matter - Kumiko simply shook her head no.

With a nod, Reina turned to get out her laptop, "I've done a bit, but it's not much," she turned back to Kumiko and gestured towards the computer. "You can have a look at my notes if you'd like."

Clearing her throat, Kumiko pulled the laptop closer, "S-sure."

She began reading the perfectly-written notes, _Oh, so that_ _'_ _s what our project_ _'_ _s about._

Kumiko glanced to her right and saw Reina sitting with her head in her hand, staring at nothing in particular, probably waiting for her to finish so that they could get started. Shaking her head, Kumiko turned back to the computer and focused on the words in front of her.

After about two sentences, however, her eyes drifted back to Reina. Blushing, she glanced at the other woman's chest. _Wow_ _…_

Surprisingly enough, Kumiko had never really paid much attention to Reina's body in that way, for she had been too distracted by her face, her eyes, her hair, her skin, her voice; but now, she saw what she had been missing out on.

Reina was not only extremely beautiful, she was sexy. Kumiko assumed the other had to work out, because her body was wonderfully slim, but not too much so. She had curves in all the right places, demonstrating her femininity perfectly. _I don_ _'_ _t know how it_ _'_ _s possible to be that perfect,_ Kumiko thought, _but I_ _'_ _m so glad it is_ _…_

Completely consumed in her exploration of the other, she didn't notice when Reina glanced towards the red-head. Eventually, however, Kumiko looked up and, to her horror, met Reina's eyes.

Kumiko froze, trying very hard to believe that the other _hadn_ _'_ _t_ seen her completely checking her out, although she knew there was no way that she had missed it. She was about to come up with some sort of excuse, apology, _anything,_ but stopped when Reina simply looked away again.

Kumiko blinked, unsure if the other was angry or not. Deciding to take her lead, however, Kumiko looked back to the laptop and struggled to find where she had left off in the notes, her face burning.

Eventually, she finished with the notes and she and Reina began quietly working on the assignment. All throughout, Kumiko kept her eyes on her own work, making sure not to loose herself in the other again.

Class passed slowly, but soon it was time for them all to be dismissed.

Kumiko had just finished packing up all of her things and was about to head for the door when Reina blocked her path.

"Do you have a class after this?"

 _Yes._ "No," Kumiko said hastily, "why?"

"Hn," Reina hummed, turning away from the red-head. "We're going to lunch."

With wide eyes, Kumiko watched the other head for the door. Unlike last week, however, Reina turned just before leaving and looked at Kumiko, waiting.

Taking her cue, Kumiko scurried after the dark-haired woman and followed her out the door; and with a mixture of confusion, excitement, and anxiety that had become the norm when she was around Reina, the two set off for lunch.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Kumiko found herself in a position she never thought she'd be in: sitting in a restaurant across from Kousaka Reina, who was browsing her menu as Kumiko pretended to be doing the same. Of course, because she wasn't actually looking at the menu and had never been to the restaurant before, she simply ordered the first thing that her eyes landed on when the waiter approached the table.

The two didn't speak, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. As they waited for their meal, Kumiko decided to take a break from her constant scrutiny of the dark-haired woman and to instead gaze out of the window beside their booth.

 _I'm not sure why I'm here,_ Kumiko thought as she watched a squirrel scurry up a nearby tree, _but I'm not complaining._

Glancing at the woman across from her, she was surprised to see that Reina had already been looking at her, her ever-present blank expression plastered on her beautiful face.

Blinking, Kumiko kept eye contact - though she was tempted to break it as she felt her cheeks burn. However, in an effort to keep the situation from becoming awkward on her own account, Kumiko let a small, uncomfortable smile form on her face.

Just then, the red-head was surprised once again when Reina did something she had never seen her do before. _She just…smirked at me?_

Keeping the mirth-ridden smile on her face, Reina turned to greet the waitress as she brought there food. Kumiko, who was still in shock, simply watched as the other woman began eating her meal.

After a few bites, Reina looked up at the red-head and let another small, enticing smirk grace her face as she said, "your food will get cold."

Kumiko sputtered and quickly began eating her own food as Reina looked on, letting out a chuckle that was too quiet for the other to hear.

They didn't speak anymore until it was time to part ways.

"U-um…"

Reina turned, looking at the blushing red-head as she waited patiently for her to say whatever she was attempting to say.

After taking a breath, Kumiko smiled at the woman that had too much control over her and said, "See you later?"

This time, Reina didn't smirk, nor did she look on with a blank expression. No, this time she smiled sweetly at the red-head - another thing that Kumiko had never seen.

"See you later."

With that, the dark-haired woman walked away, her hair shining as it swished back and forth with each step.

Kumiko watched her until she was out of sight, her face burning and her legs weak. Eventually, she turned and headed in the direction of her dorm; all the while, she thought of more ways to see that rare smile once more.

 **A/N:**

 **So I know this is a pretty short chapter, but I promise that things will start getting a bit more interesting from now on - since we've now seen that Reina is quite amused with Kumiko and her awkwardness. Thanks again for reading! :)**

 _ **Special thanks to reviewers:** YuriLover24, Psykoakuma, xLaShay, Darkshadowknightsaber, shamanic demonator, Religion0_


	4. Childhood Friends

**~ Chapter 4 ~**

The rest of the week held more than Kumiko could have ever hoped for. The day after Reina's impromptu lunch invite, she had texted the red-head and told her to meet her at the library to work on their project. Kumiko, of course, was quick to reply and even quicker to completely disregard all of the other work she had been planning on doing, discard her barely-eaten sandwich, and rush out of the door to meet her crush.

Unfortunately for the red-head, however, they actually worked on the project.

Despite her disappointment, Kumiko was more than happy to be in the presence of the dark-haired woman outside of class; and, as if reading Kumiko's mind, Reina had then surprised the girl once more as they left the library that night.

"Kumiko."

The red-head had turned towards her counterpart so quickly she was sure her neck would hurt in the morning (it did), "Hm?"

"We'll do this again Friday."

With that, Reina gracefully made her exit, leaving Kumiko as she usually did, flushed and gawking after her retreating figure.

When the next morning came, Kumiko once again made an effort to actually get to class on time, and was very proud of herself when she was a whole _two minutes early!_

She had taken her place next to Reina, who was unsurprisingly already there, and the two began working yet again.

All throughout class, Kumiko had been hoping that Reina would invite her out to lunch again, however her wish did not come true. Taki-sensei dismissed the class, Reina gathered her things, gave Kumiko a short nod, and left.

Sighing, Kumiko gathered her own belongings and began to head for the door. _At least I get to see her tomorrow, though._

The red-head lifted her head slightly and brought a fist to her chest as she exited the class room. _Optimism!_

"Oumae-san," a voice interrupted Kumiko's self-pep-talk, causing her to spin on her heel in the doorway, looking for who had said her name. She pursed her lips as her eyes scanned the room, no one was looking at her. She was about to turn back around when a pair of eyes met hers. She gulped.

"T-Taki-sensei?"

With a (probably condescending) chuckle, the professor beckoned her towards his desk with one hand. Groaning inwardly, Kumiko approached him, _What did I do this time?_

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble."

The red-head's eyes widened slightly, and then narrowed, _Taki-sensei_ _…_ _are you in my head now too?_

The professor gave no indication of hearing that thought, however, and turned fully to face Kumiko.

"I just wanted to see how your project is going, the deadline is coming up very soon, you know."

Kumiko had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, and instead smiled as naturally as she could, "It's going fine, Taki-sensei. In fact, Reina and I are meeting up tomorrow to work on it some more."

Despite her attempts at being somewhat respectful to her professor's face, she couldn't stop the small smirk that formed on her face when his eyes widened in surprise at her comment. _That_ _'_ _s right, Taki-baka-sensei, I_ _'_ _m not as much of a slacker as you thought, huh?_

To Kumiko's surprise (and confusion), however, Taki-sensei's look of surprise was followed up by genuine laughter.

 _Is he…laughing at me?_

Before Kumiko could get angry, however, Taki-sensei sobered up and looked at her with another genuine and surprising look: entertainment.

"You and _Reina,_ huh?"

Drawing her eyebrows together, Kumiko looked around, wondering what was so amusing, "U-um, yeah, me and Reina are-"

Then she realized, _"_ _Reina._ _"_

 _I called her Reina._

Kumiko could feel herself blushing, which only seemed to amuse her professor even more, much to her chagrin. Then, she blinked.

 _Wait._

She looked up at Taki-sensei. She blinked again.

 _He called her Reina, too…_

"Ehh?!"

At her sudden outburst, both Kumiko and Taki-sensei jumped.

"U-Um, I mean," the red-head rubbed the back of her neck, fumbling nervously, "Y-You just…I didn't-I'm not…"

Another laugh came from the professor, _What a weird sound._

"I apologize, Oumae-san," he attempted to hide his laughter from the student as he spoke, it didn't work. "Allow me to explain," he finally stopped laughing and looked away from Kumiko, hiding the hint of mirth in his eyes.

"Kousaka-san and I have known each other for quite a while, and she's always been very…well, alone, I suppose is the right way to put it," his eyes found the red-head's once again, "So hearing someone use her first name…Well, it was just a pleasant surprise, I suppose."

Kumiko blinked. Then blinked again.

 _Huh?_

"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you two were getting along alright. I was a bit worried that she would be taking on all the work herself, but now I see I have nothing to worry about." Another smile, genuine or fake? Kumiko would never know. "That's all, you're free to go."

With that, Taki-sensei turned back to his papers. After a few seconds, Kumiko regained her senses and quickly scurried out of the room.

 _I'm not sure what exactly just happened…_

 _I still don't like him though._

* * *

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait _what?!_ _"_

"Okay, first, calm down, Hazuki," Kumiko whispered, looking around the cafeteria and then back to her friend who had just jumped up from her seat in excitement. "Second, you heard what I said, right? _Please_ don't make me explain all of that again."

Hazuki sat down with a huff, "Yes, I heard you. I just can't believe it!"

"I know," the red-head returned to her meal, now that her friend had calmed down a little, "it's pretty crazy to think that Taki-sensei and Reina have known each other for that long."

"Nonono, not _that!_ _"_

Hazuki jumped up from her seat once again, drawing attention from the students around them, much to Kumiko's embarrassment. She reached across the table to force her friend back down onto her seat, _shh_ -ing her vigorously in the process.

"I said _calm down!_ _"_

"Okay, okayyy. Anyway! I can't not believe that Taki-sensei and Kousaka-chan know each other, what I can't not…not believe is…uhh…"

Kumiko raised an eyebrow at her friend, _she confused herself again._

Hazuki drew her eyebrows together for a second, thinking to herself. After a few more seconds, Kumiko almost saw a lightbulb turn on over her friend's head as her eyes flew open wide and she exclaimed _a-ha!_ turning back to Kumiko excitedly.

"What I can't believe is that you got to have a real conversation with Taki-sensei!" Hazuki squealed in perfect fangirl fashion, "I'd _die_ if he even said hello to me…"

The red-head rolled her eyes and took a bite of her food, "Believe me, it wasn't as great as you think it was."

"Oh, you just say that because you hate him," Hazuki said, swatting her hand back and forth as if something smelled bad. "Which I still don't understand. I mean, he's so _dreamy_ …"

Sighing, Kumiko begrudgingly returned to her meal as her friend drifted off to Dream Land, taking larger bites than were probably necessary.

"Oi, keep shoveling it in like that and you'll choke. Slow it down, _baka._ " Kumiko looked up at the sudden voice coming from her left and felt her whole body deflate.

"What do you want, Shuichi?" Kumiko grumbled, eating an even bigger forkful just to spite her lifetime friend (read: nuisance).

"Just stopping by to say hello," the boy said as he sat down next to the red-head, much to her annoyance, "or am I not allowed to do that?"

"Do whatever you want, I don't care," Kumiko said, ignoring him as much as she could.

Hazuki cleared her throat softly as she looked on at the duo across from her, slightly uncomfortable due to their overt animosity towards once another.

Kumiko sighed as she looked at her friend, who had wiggled her way into a conversation with Shuichi in order to relieve the tension.

She really couldn't believe that Hazuki still had a crush on this guy. I mean, sure, he actually wasn't that bad of a person; but he was just so annoying! How could anyone go all goggly eyes over such an idiot!

The red-head sighed quietly, _I guess it_ _'_ _s none of my business, though. Can_ _'_ _t help how you feel about a person, after all_ _…_

At that, a dark-haired angel appeared inside Kumiko's mind, causing a blush to spread over her face. _I_ _'_ _m really gonna go crazy because of this girl._

A small smile formed on her face at that thought, because she realized that, even if she did go crazy, if it was because of Reina she wouldn't really mind it.

"What's that face for?"

Kumiko jumped and looked up at Shuichi, who apparently had caught the dreamy look on her face. _Creep_ _…_

"None of your business, weirdo," Kumiko retorted hastily. Shuichi scoffed at her remark and gave her that _look;_ at which Kumiko glared as hard as she can.

Looking back over at her friend, the red-head smiled sweetly, "Sorry to leave you with this _jerk,_ _"_ she quickly shot a glare towards her right side, then turned back to Hazuki with a smile, "but I've got to get going."

"Why?" Shuichi asked, causing Kumiko to roll her eyes for the second time during that particular meal. "Because I want to," she said with a smile.

Gathering up the remnants of her meal, Kumiko stood and left her (one) friend with a small wave.

After throwing away her trash and leaving her dishes in the designated area, Kumiko made her way outside. She didn't really have anything to do, seeing as she was planning on getting the rest of her homework done over the weekend like usual (why get work done when you have the time when you can procrastinate and stress about it, instead?).

 _Might as well take the long way back to the room since I don_ _'_ _t have anything else to do._

It was mid-autumn, which meant that the weather was pretty much perfect in Kumiko's opinion. The wind was blowing, which added a slight crispness to the cool air. Looking around, a content smile spread across the red-head's face as she took in the colors of the leaves as they swayed in the breeze. As she looked around at her surroundings, she yawned suddenly, causing her eyes to water. _I_ _'_ _m definitely gonna take a nap when I get to the dorm._

At this thought, Kumiko's steps quickened a bit, ready to be in her warm bed.

As she passed by the Social Studies building, she picked up her pace even more, not wanting to run into a certain annoying professor.

Fate didn't seem to want to give her a break, however, because at that moment, she spotted the history teacher walking down the steps. Groaning, Kumiko turned her head, hoping to avoid any eye contact.

She was almost past the building when another head of black hair caught her eye, causing her to stop in her tracks. _Reina?_

The two seemed to be having some sort of conversation, which, Kumiko supposed, wasn't that weird - especially since they apparently knew each other somehow.

She was about to start walking again when she noticed the pair's conversation seemed to take an unpleasant turn.

Taki-sensei seemed to be trying to say something, maybe trying to convince her of something it seemed, but Reina wasn't having it. Kumiko saw Taki-sensei's shoulders rise and fall softly as he sighed at something the younger girl said. After making a soft remark of some sort, then turned away.

Kumiko tried to turn away, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, but she was glued to the spot. Taki-sensei started down the stairs but stopped suddenly. Kumiko's breathing hitched as she realized why he stopped. Reina had gripped onto the back of his sweater, her head downcast and her long hair covering her face. Kumiko was sure she was saying something though, because the professor inclined his head slightly, as if trying to hear her quiet words.

He then sighed once again, turned around, and placed a hand on her shoulder. After a few seconds, he turned back around and started down the stairs, this time successfully making his exit.

Kumiko looked on at Reina, who was standing still, her head still down. For a moment, the red-head thought that she could be crying. Her feet were itching to run towards the girl, to check and make sure she was okay, to wipe away any of her sorrows.

Just as she was about to give into her desires, however, the dark-haired woman raised her head high, huffed quickly, and started down the stairs. Kumiko watched her walk away, still stuck in the same spot. She stayed there until the other was out of sight.

Once she was no longer in view, Kumiko looked down at her feet, drawing her eyebrows together. Slowly, but surely, she continued down the path towards her dorm; all the while, her head remained lowered in silent contemplation.

Eventually, she reached her room, letting her backpack fall limply off her back as she fell onto her bed. She crawled under the covers and huffed, knowing that she wouldn't be getting that nap that she had been so excited for.

 _What was that about?_ _…_

 **A/U: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for how long it's been since updating this story. It was a combination of finals, holidays, and just me procrastinating. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter, though! Time to see what's going on with Taki-sensei and Reina, huh? Also, poor Shuichi. He just can't get a break with Kumiko. I'll try to get the next chapter done sooner this time (buuuut no promises, I'm super lazy ngl).**

 **Special thanks to reviewers:** **YuriLover24, Psykoakuma, ixamxnoxone, angel0wonder, xLaShay, Asuna, RawrrImADinasourFearMe, adamkitsune7**


	5. White Dress

_Themes (so far…):_

 _Reina: Caught - Florence + the Machine_

 _Kumiko: Haunting - Halsey_

 **~ Chapter 5 ~**

Kumiko hadn't been able to get the image of Reina and Taki-sensei out of her head since she had willed herself to leave the scene of their conversation. She knew she wasn't the brightest nor the most attentive when it came to most things, especially when it came to reading into people's emotions that were hidden under the surface; she had been known to take everything for face value - which was why she had such a hard time understanding people like Reina, who never let their thoughts show on their faces. This characteristic caused the red-head to suffer through many open-mouth-insert-foot moments throughout her life, she never thought through things as she should. However, this time, it was different.

She had thought quite a lot about the encounter that she had witnessed the day before, in fact, she had ended up spending most of the night dwelling over it. She wasn't exactly sure why. She knew that the two had some sort of history, so it was only natural for them to have a conversation outside of class. Even so, Kumiko couldn't help but notice the thick tension that seemed to pool around the two as they spoke on the steps of the Social Studies building.

That was all she could really gather from the conversation, unfortunately, and it drove her absolutely _crazy._

What could they have been talking about? Why had Reina seemed so upset by it? Did Taki-sensei simply give her one of his thinly-veiled insults that the red-head received on an almost daily basis? That didn't seem to be it, though. Even if he had said something like that, she doubted Reina would have reacted in the way she did. She had seemed so…pathetic.

Kumiko shook her head. No, not pathetic. Her dark-haired angel could never be _pathetic._ Taki-sensei had looked at her as if he thought otherwise, however. He looked at her as if she was a puppy crying to be held by a stranger walking by. Like a child crying after dropping her ice cream on the ground. Just the thought of his face at that time made Kumiko's blood boil.

 _How could he have treated her like that, not giving her the least bit of sympathy when she was clearly upset about something…_

Her disdain for that professor was growing more and more each day.

However, here worries for Reina grew even more. What could have possibly made her react in such a way? Kumiko had only ever seen a smirk pass over that lovely, blank face once since she first saw the woman several months before - the red-head knew that Taki-sensei had to have said or done something terrible to get that kind of reaction from her.

Kumiko huffed. She hadn't stopped nit-picking the situation for one minute since it happened, but she was getting nowhere; she had only managed to make herself even more frustrated.

 _But now I need to calm down,_ she thought. _Now's not the time to dwell._

The red-head was walking as fast as she could to the library where she was supposed to meet Reina to work on their project once again. The two had worked very hard each time they met, so much so that they were nearly finished.

Kumiko had to admit that this was pretty disappointing, she was hoping it would take them longer so that she would have more excuses to see Reina.

Just as she was about to let out a sigh of disappointment at her future lack of reasons to see her crush, the girl in question came into view.

The red-head cheered up immediately as she spotted the familiar dark hair. which was pulled into a high pony-tail. _Nice._

"Reina!" she shouted, as she sped up to trot alongside the girl walking into the library.

Her feet came to a halt as the dark-haired woman turned her gaze onto Kumiko. The red-head gulped. Today, Reina had decided to dress up more than usual for some reason. She was wearing a white sundress that flowed down to her calves, along with white sandals that showed off her perfectly pedicured toes. The thought that the girl must have been cold popped into Kumiko's mind as she gazed at Reina's exposed skin, considering the weather conditions as of late. However, those thoughts were quickly swept away as all she could really think was, _Woah_ _…_

"Good afternoon, Kumiko."

The woman's voice snapped Kumiko out of her reverie, causing her to blush and smile awkwardly - seeing as she had overtly been checking her out (once again).

"Y-Yeah, afternoon!" The red-head cleared her throat and looked away from the beauty standing in front of her, "ready to work?"

With a small nod, Reina turned away and entered the library. Kumiko trailed behind her, attempting to catch her breath and marveling at just how much of a creep she was.

The two found a comfortable spot in the library, which wasn't nearly as full as it usually was due to the fact that it was Friday, and most students were out getting ready for parties and such. Kumiko didn't mind the privacy, of course.

They quickly got to work, with Reina doing most of the _actual_ work while Kumiko simply gave her input whenever the other asked - which was only about half the time. _Beautiful_ and _smart,_ Kumiko thought, watching the girl type with quick precision. _That_ _'_ _s so not fair_ _…_

Kumiko let out a small huff and rested her chin on her hand, pondering how she had been so unlucky to fall for such a perfect specimen - it was just too frustrating!

"Is something wrong?"

The red-head started and looked to the subject of her thoughts, surprised that she had heard her. "O-Oh! Yeah, yes. I'm fine. Just - thinking about something," she stumbled over her words, laughing nervously.

Reina's eyebrows smushed together ever so slightly, causing a small wrinkle to form in between them. "Did you not like what I wrote on this part?" She gestured towards the screen, where she had been forming the conclusion slide for presentation.

"No! No, I, uh…" Kumiko scratched the back of her head, blushing. "I haven't even been paying attention, really."

Reina paused. Her expression became blank once again, but then, much to the red-head's surprise, she chuckled slightly. "You're very honest, aren't you?"

She turned back to her work and began typing again, an ever-so-small smile still lingering on her lips.

Kumiko wasn't sure if she was laughing at her or not, but she didn't really care. _She laughed!_

The red-head made a mental note of the sound, making sure to keep it saved up for forever, _Who knows when I_ _'_ _ll hear that again._

Reina continued working on the project, still asking for Kumiko's input as she went back through to "polish the edges" as she had put it. However, something strange seemed to start happening as she and Kumiko worked on the project after their small interaction.

Reina started _teasing_ her.

The red-head wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not - but even _she_ didn't have that wild of an imagination.

It started small, with a few "paying attention?"'s and "do I need to repeat that?"'s, accompanied with small smirks and mirth-filled glances. Then, it got to the point where she was even _laughing_ at Kumiko's reactions and awkward comebacks. That's right, actual _laughing!_

The icing on the cake came when Reina asked her a question about one of the main historical figures they were to be discussing during their presentation, to which Kumiko gracefully replied "who?" This caused another chuckle to come from the dark-haired woman's lips as she stated, "You really are the worst."

Kumiko was sure she had somehow been impaled by her pen or electrocuted by the computer and been sent to heaven, that was the only logical explanation. However, a few subtle pinches to her forearm when Reina was looking the other way confirmed that she was, indeed, alive.

This went on for a while, but eventually they had finished the assignment and had no other reason to remain at the nearly-deserted library.

Kumiko couldn't help but become distraught as she watched the other girl pack up her things, she didn't want this moment to end. However, she couldn't think of any reason that they would have to meet up again outside of the pretense of doing school work. With a frown, Kumiko prepared to say her goodbye's.

 _It was nice while it lasted, now back to watching her from far away every day like a creep_ _…_

"Hey."

Kumiko glanced up as she finished stuffing her backpack, "Hm?"

"Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving."

And with that, the dark-haired angel began walking towards the exit. Kumiko blinked at the spot where Reina had just been standing, muttered a small _waitwhat,_ and then rushed off to follow the woman out of the building.

* * *

Reina had silently led the way to a small diner on the outskirts of campus, with Kumiko trailing behind her like a lost puppy (especially since she was a little lost, she didn't really get out much so she had absolutely _no_ idea where they were going). Once they arrived, the two made their way to a booth in the corner and began looking over their menus quietly.

Well, Kumiko looked over her menu. It seemed that her dark-haired counterpart had been here quite a lot, for she never even glanced at the menu, and once the waitress approached them, she ordered her meal without a second of hesitation. The red-head, on the other hand, hadn't been paying as much attention to her perusal of her menu and therefore fumbled with it for a moment before spitting out an "I'll have the same!"

As per usual, the two sat in silence as they waited for their food to arrive - with Reina gazing out the window and Kumiko gazing at her.

As she watched the subject of her affections watch the leaves fall outside, her mind wandered back to the encounter she had witnessed the day before. A part of her wanted to ask about it, worried that Reina may be upset about the situation; however, she knew it wasn't her place. Besides, as far as the other girl knew, Kumiko had no idea that Reina even knew Taki-sensei.

Taking a sip of her lemonade, Kumiko decided to go with her better judgement and avoid the subject of the History professor altogether.

"What do you think about Taki-sensei?"

The red-head choked on her drink in surprise. She coughed and grabbed her napkin, blushing ferociously. Reina simply looked on with an eyebrow raised slightly.

"W-What?" Kumiko sputtered.

"Taki-sensei," Reina repeated blankly. "What do you think of him?"

Kumiko didn't know what to say. _Why is she bringing him up all of a sudden?_

"Uhh, I don't know," the red-head chuckled slightly, feeling awkward and nervous suddenly. "He's a good teacher I guess?"

Reina raised her eyebrow once again, as if to say, _Really? Come on._

With a sigh, Kumiko looked away from Reina to look out the window, resting her chin on her hand. "I don't know. Honestly, I think he's a little overrated."

If Reina agreed or disagreed with this statement, she wouldn't let on. "How so?"

By now, Kumiko was feeling very uncomfortable. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't like talking about the professor with Reina, she'd rather sit in silence like they had been before. "I guess he's just…not my type, or something," the red-head said, waving her hand dismissively. "Plus, he's kind of a jerk so, yeah, I'm not really a fan of his."

At Kumiko's seemingly honest reply, Reina simply nodded thoughtfully and looked back out the window. However, the red-head didn't miss the way her eyebrows knit together slightly and her lips pursed. _Oh no, she_ _'_ _s mad. Is she mad? I think she_ _'_ _s mad._

"B-But that's just my opinion, of course!" the red-head said quickly, trying to regain the calm and content atmosphere that had once been surrounding them. "I know many people really…look up to him…and stuff."

"Yes, I suppose they do," Reina replied calmly, still looking out the window.

Kumiko blinked. She wasn't sure what that meant but she hoped it wasn't anything bad. Before she could dwell anymore on the matter, however, their food arrived.

The two ate in silence, not daring to look up at one another. Kumiko did note, however, that Reina definitely had different taste in food than she did. She had ordered - and consequently, Kumiko had ordered - some sort of tofu dish that the red-head had never seen before. It was quite terrible, actually. She still ate it, though, as to keep from offending the other girl any more than she possibly had already.

She just hoped that Reina wasn't noticing how difficult it was for her to get the meal down, it really was terrible.

"I look up to him."

Kumiko started at her dark-haired counterpart's sudden words. "Huh? Who?"

Reina looked at her with a small amount of mirth in her eyes, "Taki-sensei," she said, as if it should have been obvious. Which, Kumiko supposed it probably should have been.

"Oh," Kumiko stated lamely, not sure what to say. There was no need for her to say anymore, though, for Reina wasn't done.

"I've known him since I was a child, he's a family friend," she stated simply as she reached for her glass and took a small sip of water. "I've looked up to him all my life, he's always been very smart and talented."

She wasn't sure why, but Kumiko didn't like where this was going for some reason. She hoped that Reina would leave it at that, but of course, fate wouldn't have it her way.

"We spent a lot of time together when we were younger, until he went off to college. Then, we didn't talk much," she looked out of the window once again, resting her chin on her hand as Kumiko had before. "I guess that's when I realized I was in love with him."

 _Clang._

Kumiko didn't even flinch as her fork landed on her plate with a loud noise. She didn't breathe. She didn't think. She simply looked on at the girl in front of her. The girl she was eating dinner with. The girl she was in love with. The girl that was in love with someone else.

The red-head swallowed hard, unable to process the information she had just been given.

She hadn't thought of that. It had never even crossed her mind that Reina could be in love with someone else. Many other things had crossed her mind, like whether or not the girl even liked her in general, let alone romantically - whether or not she even liked _girls_ in that way; but never, not once, had she thought that Reina could possibly be in love already.

Now she realized that should have probably been the top priority of her worries.

She looked at the girl sitting across from her, she was still staring outside. She hadn't looked Kumiko's way once. The red-head barely processed the dull ache that had settled in her chest as she looked down at her barely-eaten food.

Unable to think of anything else to do to try and look normal, the red-head slowly picked up her fork and went back eating her un-appetizing meal. She didn't bother to say anything in response to Reina's confession, she knew nothing would come out right; and it didn't seem like the girl was expecting a response anyway. So the two simply sank back into silence, Reina continued to look out across the expanse of trees outside the window while Kumiko forced herself to eat every last bit of her meal.

Eventually, she finished and the two paid for their meals. They stood up and headed for the exit. Once they reached the outside of the diner, Kumiko muttered a small " _see you later"_ and began walking in the direction of her dorm.

"Kumiko."

The red-head turned back to the dark-haired angel behind her, who really did look like an angel as she stood under the street lamp in her snow-white dress. Kumiko sighed quietly, "Yes?"

"Next time," Reina smirked, "you don't have to eat the food if you don't like it."

With that, she walked off in the opposite direction, leaving a blushing and flustered Kumiko in her wake.

 _This girl really is gonna be the death of me._

 **A/N:**

 **Okay, this was so much to write. I feel for Kumiko so much, I hated putting her through that! Don't worry too much, though, our favorite awkward lil red-head will understand everything in due time. :3**

 **Hope you all liked it! Please let me know what you think, I love all the feedback I've been getting! It really helps motivate me to keep writing. 3**

 _ **Special thanks to reviewers: Religion0, RawrrImADinosaurFearMe, Sensitive Soybean, Psykoakuma, xLaShay**_


	6. Unrequited Love

**~ Chapter 6 ~**

The walk back to her dorm felt longer than ever before that evening. So many emotions were swirling around inside of the red-head; sadness, confusion, frustration, annoyance. With each step she took, the ache in her chest grew deeper and duller.

 _I shouldn't even be this upset,_ Kumiko thought with a huff. _It's not like we dated or anything. It was just a stupid crush…_

Kumiko kept this thought on repeat in her mind, _just a crush, just a crush, just a crush._

Despite her efforts, though, she knew she was lying to herself. It wasn't just a crush, she was in love with Reina. Head over heels. She didn't know when it had happened, how long it had been, or when she had realized it, but she knew that it was true. She also knew that it would take a very, very long time to get over it.

The red-head let out another frustrated huff as she entered her dorm building and trudged up the steps.

As she walked past her dark-haired love's dorm room, Kumiko briefly wondered why Reina hadn't come the same way as she did, seeing as they lived in the same building. In fact, she had never gone back to the dorm at the same time as Kumiko when they had been together. _Probably went to go visit Taki-sensei or something_ _…_

Yet another huff left Kumiko's lips as she opened the door to her own room, ready to spend the rest of the night in her pajama's, eating all of the ramen in her mini-fridge, and watching cheesy romance movies (or gory horror movies, she hadn't decided yet).

Or at least, that was what she had been _planning_ to do until she opened her door to find Hazuki in her most revealing outfit, finishing up her make-up. _Oh boy._

Kumiko knew where this was going, so as soon as she opened the door, she slowly began backing out again, praying to anything and _everything_ that her friend wouldn't notice her presence.

"Kumikoooo!"

As fate would have it as of late, Kumiko was not that lucky.

The red-head sighed, "Hi, Hazuki."

"Kumiko, Kumiko, Kumikooo!" The brunette was practically bouncing off the walls as she greeted her friend, "Go get ready!"

 _I knew it._ "Sorry, Hazuki, but I think I'm just gonna stay in toni-"

" _Nope!"_

Hazuki bounded over to her roommates closet and began searching for an appropriate outfit for the night's festivities. Kumiko groaned as she watched her friend wreak havoc on her clothes, knowing that nothing would stop her now.

Hazuki was not what one would call a "party girl," however, every once in a while, when she didn't have any tests or projects due, she would go all out. She would wear her cutest, shortest dress, her highest heels, cake her face with make-up, and even curl her hair as much as she could considering its length. These nights would usually entail going to as many frat parties as possible, drinking until she could barely walk home, and ending the night on the floor of the bathroom (not always their own).

However, these nights could not be complete without one specific detail: dragging Kumiko along, whether she wanted to or not - and she usually did _not_ want to.

Tonight was no exception. In fact, tonight was the night that the red-head least wanted to go out. _Why can_ _'_ _t I just wallow in self-pity like a normal heartbroken person_ _…_ _.._

Kumiko knew she shouldn't blame Hazuki for forcing her to go out when she was in so much pain, because she didn't know she was in pain. She didn't know because Kumiko hadn't told her, she hadn't told her anything. Hell, the girl didn't even know Kumiko was gay!

At that thought, Kumiko paused. _Wait, when did_ I _even know I was gay?_

The red-head had never really thought about it. It's not like she had any reason to think about it, really; one day, she just sort of _knew._ It was the day she first saw Reina. It was a week after school started, she was in the cafeteria for breakfast, she looked up from her bagel and there she was. Walking past Kumiko's table like a goddess with her bowl of fruit, not gracing anyone with her attention. Looking back on it, Kumiko hadn't even questioned herself, she knew right in that moment that she was attracted to the woman and it didn't feel wrong or weird - it felt like the most right thing in the world.

She never thought anymore about it, there was no need to. Now, however, she decided maybe she did have some thinking to do. _I mean, it_ _'_ _s not like I_ _'_ _m Reina-sexual_ , she thought, only half joking. _I_ _'_ _m sure I could find other women attractive._

At that thought, Kumiko decided to embrace the fact that she was currently being forced into her tightest skirt and tank top. _Tonight,_ the red-head decided, _tonight I_ _'_ _ll be like a normal college girl._

 _Tonight I_ _'_ _ll check out some chicks._

* * *

 _ABORT ABORT!_

That was all Kumiko could think as Hazuki led her into the fraternity. All she could smell was sweat and booze, all she could see were grinding bodies and glistening skin, all she could feel was _uncomfortable._

She realized now that she should have known it wouldn't be so easy to just turn into a party animal in an hour; she was still her awkward, socially awaked self who _hated parties._

Just as she was about to make a break for it, Hazuki grabbed her arm and led her to the alcohol. "H-Hazuki, I don't think this is such a great idea," she said as the brunette shoved a red cup in her hands full of unknown liquids.

"Oh, c'mon, Kumikooo," Hazuki whined, pouring herself a cup as well, "you need to relax for once! You've been so tense lately, you know?"

Kumiko sighed, "Yes, I know."

She watched her friend down her cup like champ and looked at her own cup anxiously. She wasn't sure if her friend knew this, but the red-head had never actually been drunk before. Sure, she'd had a glass of wine or a can of beer here and there, but she never even finished those all the way (they were pretty gross, after all).

She looked up at Hazuki again, who was now pouring her second cup. _Lord…_

Sighing, Kumiko looked around at the sea of sweaty bodies surrounding her. She looked back at her cup, then back at the people. _Oh, screw it._

She took a large gulp of the bitter liquid in her cup, causing her face to scrunch up together. "Ugh, that's terrible!"

Hazuki laughed at her friend, already feeling a bit tipsy, it seemed, "Yeah, this frat doesn't have the best alcohol." However, she downed the rest of her drink after making that statement, which caused Kumiko to shake her head in amazement.

Deciding that she might as well take a tip from her friend, Kumiko managed to finish her own cup, albeit much more slowly than her roommate.

"Alright!" Hazuki cheered, shoving another cup into her friend's hand. "Now, time for phase two."

At Kumiko's confused and slightly scared glance, Hazuki grinned, "Dancing!"

Before the red-head could protest, Hazuki pulled her along to the middle of the room, pushing past the hoard of sweaty people. Once they were in a place that suited Hazuki's liking, they began to join the the rhythm of the room.

Or at least, Hazuki did. Kumiko was still feeling awkward, even if she did feel a slight warmth tinge her cheeks.

However, looking at her friend enjoying herself, the red-head couldn't help but smile slightly. Pursing her lips, Kumiko made another decision: she was going to have fun tonight.

With that, she downed her cup a little faster than her last one and tried her best to join her friend on the dance floor.

* * *

Okay. So, she might have gone a _little_ too far with the whole "have fun" thing.

Kumiko had ended up having two more drinks at the first party, making her successfully tipsy. Then, Hazuki brought her to another party that had jello shots. Kumiko had no idea that she loved jello shots so much, but apparently she did for she had five of them. Not to mention the other two drinks, which were fruity and delicious and _very vodka-y._

Needless to say, by the time the two girls made it to the third frat house of the night, they were both slurring, stumbling, shambles - and they were loving every minute of it.

So, of course, when the several men of the parties found their way to the drunken women to flirt shamelessly, Kumiko didn't care enough to tell them she wasn't exactly interested. Instead, she enjoyed the attention and even let herself dance with a few of them. However, the red-head was a bit disappointed that she hadn't really gotten around to the whole "checking out chicks" thing. Nevertheless, she was enjoying her time in blissful idiocy.

Everything was going smoothly until a certain boy found his way to the tipsy red-head.

"Now this is something I didn't think I'd ever see."

As soon as she heard his voice, she let out a long, overdramatic groan. Turning around, Kumiko gave him a lopsided grimace, "What do youuuu want?"

Shuichi simply laughed and took a sip of his own drink, "Just checking up on you, you are plastered after all."

Kumiko scoffed at the boy in front of her, "I'm not plastered, silly Shuichi!"

He laughed at the red-head, "Yeah, _okay."_

He brought his cup to his lips, but was intercepted by Kumiko as she grabbed his cup from his hands, "You shouldn't drink this stuff, Shuichi," she slurred, bringing the cup to her own mouth. "It's _bad."_

This made Shuichi laugh even more, which caused the red-head to frown. _He's laughing at me. How rude!_

With a _hmmf,_ Kumiko turned around, looking for Hazuki. Of course, Shuichi followed.

"So, what made you decide to finally do this?" the boy asked as they made their way through the crowd.

"None of your _bee's wax."_

Shuichi laughed again, much to Kumiko's chagrin. She turned around quickly, startling the boy slightly. "Why are you so _annoying?"_

His eyes widened slightly, offended. "What did I do?!"

" _Everything,"_ Kumiko sneered.

Shuichi sighed, "You're drunk. Now isn't the time to talk about this."

"Yes, you're right," Kumiko slurred, finding her way to the cooler full of different booze and grabbing one at random. "Not about me being drunk, of course, about the other thing."

The boy tried to grab the drink from her hand but she slapped him away, "See! There you go again. Always trying to control everything I do and get in my business!"

"I'm not, I'm just-" he tried to defend himself, but the drunken girl was having none of it.

"Noooo, no, no, no, nononononooooo," the red-head wobbled a bit and almost fell over, but Shuichi caught her before she could.

Kumiko groaned, "See, there you go agaaaaain. Always trying to be the knight in stupid armor."

"You mean _shining_ armor."

The red-head glared as best as she could at the boy that still had his arms around her, helping her keep her balance (which, though she wouldn't admit it, she did need help with at the moment).

Sighing, Shuichi led Kumiko towards the door, "Okay, I think you've had enough fun for tonight."

The red-head wanted to protest, but was afraid her insides may find a way _out_ if she opened her mouth.

As they found their way to the door, Kumiko spotted Hazuki dancing with a guy from the frat they were currently in; or at least, Kumiko thought he was in the frat. Were they in a frat anymore? She wasn't entirely sure.

She was about to call over to the girl, but the other spotted her before she was able to. For a moment, Kumiko thought she saw a flash of something pass over her face, but she quickly covered it with a smile, a wave, and a wink. Kumiko may have been completely out of her right mind at the moment, but she still had enough sense to get what the other girl was implying. _Go get 'em, Hazuki._ The red-head gave her friend a determined look and a thumbs up as she left the building.

* * *

The walk back to her dorm with Shuichi was a blur, though she didn't really do a lot of walking, seeing as she was almost dragged the whole way there.

Somehow, however, the boy managed to get Kumiko up the steps to her floor.

"Almost there," he muttered, a bit tired from practically carrying the girl up the steps.

"Yeah, _duhh,_ " she slurred. This only caused Shuichi to chuckle quietly, she was too drunk to even come back with a proper retort.

"Wait," Kumiko said suddenly. She pulled herself away from Shuichi and wobbled over to the nearest door. She looked at the door longingly and sighed, causing Shuichi to raise an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"Noooothing," she said, sighing once again. Shuichi gave her a ludicrous look, she wasn't fooling him one bit. In fact, he was pretty sure she wasn't even trying to.

"Come on, Ginger. Spill it."

She huffed at the nickname, but gave in anyway, the alcohol making her a little less secretive. "Girls," she said pathetically. "Girls are _impossible,_ Shuichi."

This caused the boy to snort, "Don't I know it."

Kumiko ignored him and went back to staring at the door. Feeling her heartache returning, she decided Shuichi was right for once, "Yeah, I think I need to go to sleep."

"Glad to hear it," he said, trying to keep the " _I told you so"_ from his voice. "C'mon, you drunk."

He put her arm around his shoulders, since she obviously couldn't even make it to her room just five doors down. They were almost to the room when they heard another door open from behind. They both turned around to see the occupant of the door Kumiko had just been fawning over. The red-head froze as her eyes met Reina's.

They stared at one another for a moment, then Kumiko saw Reina look to Shuichi then back to her. She wasn't sure why, but something dark took over Reina's eyes at that moment.

Kumiko squeaked suddenly and jumped away from Shuichi, causing her to stumble and almost fall - Shuichi caught her once agin before that could happen, however.

"Jeez, Ginger! Take it easy!"

Kumiko was about to tell him to let her go when she heard a door shut suddenly. She looked up to where Reina had just been standing and saw only the empty hallway.

Unaware of what exactly was going on, Shuichi grabbed Kumiko's keys from her hand and opened her door, leading the girl inside.

"Okay, here you are. Now go to sleep." He turned around to leave the room but stopped in his tracks when he heard a small sniffle come from Kumiko's direction. Shuichi turned around quickly and widened his eyes in surprise at the sight before him: Kumiko, the Kumiko he had known all his life, who he had never seen cry even when she broke her arm in third grade, was sitting on her bed with her head bowed, silent tears flowing down her face and dripping onto her exposed legs.

"Kumiko?" Shuichi softly inquired, not sure what to do in this kind of situation.

She simply shook her head and continued to cry, bringing her hands to her face.

Shuichi hesitated, but made himself approach the girl, sitting next to her quietly. He was sure she didn't want to talk about it, after all, she never wanted to talk to him about anything. So instead of asking for an explanation, the boy simply sat there next to his crying friend.

After a few minutes, she took him by surprise by leaning against his shoulder. She was still crying, so he decided to put an arm around her, doing his best to comfort the person who had never needed comforting before.

He let her cry on his shoulder, not caring that her snot was getting on his new shirt, or even that she would probably pretend that this had never happened tomorrow. He didn't care. All he cared about was helping this girl in any way he could, as he had always tried to do.

Of course, it was probably because he loved her. Not as just a friend, but in a romantic sense. He had loved her since she first told him off when they were ten years old. Of course, then he had no idea how to handle such emotions, so he resorted to being as annoying as possible to her.

He realized now that had probably not been the best way to go about things, because now she wanted nothing to do with him. Shuichi sighed quietly. He had learned to live with her disdain for him, though it still made his heart hurt slightly.

It wasn't like he was going to live his life pining after a girl that clearly didn't feel the same way; no, he wasn't _that_ pathetic. He was sure he would fall in love again, get married, make a life with someone else that would feel the same way about him. However, that didn't mean he would stop loving Kumiko. In fact, he was sure he would never stop loving her.

So, he had made the decision to express that love the only way he could: by protecting her. In any way he could, Shuichi would try his best to keep the beautifully stubborn red-head from hurting, or at least, he would try to ease the pain as best as he could.

So in this moment, as Kumiko fell asleep on his shoulder, even if he had no idea what was hurting her so much that she would cry on his shoulder, he would do as much as he could in this one moment that she was allowing it. He wiped away the drying tears from her cheeks and helped her to bed, taking off her shoes and placing a trash can next to the bed just in case she was sick in the middle of the night.

He grabbed a cup and a bottle of pain-killers, filled the cup up with water, and placed it on the red-head's night stand for when she woke up the next morning.

Sighing, Shuichi figured that was all he could do for the girl that would most definitely be hungover the next morning.

Looking at the sleeping girl in front of him, the boy smiled bitterly. Whomever caused those tears to fall from his Ginger's face had earned both his disdain and respect; disdain because how dare anyone make her hurt that much, and respect because, well, she must really care about this person to actually cry over them.

Shuichi turned slowly and made his way out of the room, turning off the light as he departed. As he walked to his own dorm, he tried his best to push away the third feeling that had crept over him since he saw those tears: jealousy.

Sighing once more, Shuichi lowered head slightly. _At least she has someone to cry over now,_ he thought. _Serves her right, though._

With a bitter chuckle, Shuichi lifted his head. _Now you get to know how it feels to have your heart broken, Ginger._

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Ooooh! Do I spy a little character development? Not gonna lie, I wasn't planning on incorporating so much Shuichi in this chapter, but I got a little carried away. I just feel bad for the guy. Also, I don't condone underage drinking, kids! But it is fun to write about.. :3**

 **One more thing: I've read back through this story and realized that I've got quite a few continuity errors... But to be honest, I'm too lazy to go back through and fix every one - though I have tried to fix as many as I can. So, yeah, if you've noticed, I'm sorry! I'm going to try to pay more attention to that from now on.**

 **Anyway, thank you again for reading and let me know what you think! :)**

 _ **Special thanks to reviewers:**_ _ **not a straight trumpet, xLaShay, Asuna, Psykoakuma, angel0wonder, m, Religion0, ixamxnoxone**_


	7. Presentation

**~ Chapter 7 ~**

Kumiko was sure she was going to die. Her head felt like it had been hit with a hammer multiple times throughout the night, she couldn't sit up without the room spinning all around her, and she could barely take a sip of water without feeling like she was going to puke out her guts.

 _How can Hazuki do this so much?_

The red-head groaned as the sun shone through her window, hitting her straight in the face like a stray baseball. She attempted to reach up and close her curtains, but that only managed to make her turn right around and empty her already-empty stomach into the trash can by her bed. She wasn't sure how it had gotten there, but, boy, was she glad it was.

Just when Kumiko had come to peace with her inevitable death, Hazuki entered the room with a bag in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. "Morning!"

She was greeted by a groan from the hungover red-head beneath her blankets. Hazuki was sure that translated to something like, _"_ _what_ _'_ _s so good about it?_ _"_

The brunette chuckled and made her way to her suffering friend. "Here," she said, setting the bag and water bottle on Kumiko's night stand, "you need to eat something or else you'll be miserable all day."

Kumiko was sure she had to be kidding. How was she supposed to eat when she couldn't even swallow without feeling sick?!

Hazuki wasn't about to let up, however. "Come on, sleepy-head," she said, pulling on the covers. "It's for," _pull_ "your own," _pull_ "good!" With that, she successfully pulled away the blanket, revealing a very grumpy red-head.

"Hazuki!" Kumiko groaned, glaring pitifully at her roommate, who simply giggled at the girl's expression.

"Come on, you'll thank me later." Kumiko wasn't so sure about that, but she knew her friend wouldn't budge so she begrudgingly grabbed the plastic bag from the bedside table and examined its contents.

Hazuki had brought her a fruit bowl, a bagel, and some sort of sandwich; she knew she wouldn't be able to eat it all, but she figured she might as well try to get _some_ of it down. Deciding that the fruit would be the easiest to handle, she started with that.

She looked over at her friend, who was changing into more comfortable clothes. She wasn't exactly sure where she had gone the night before, but she figured it was none of her business; Hazuki was smart enough to stay out of any dangerous situations anyway.

"So," Hazuki started, sitting down at her desk, "how did the rest of _your_ night go?"

"Eh, it didn't really _go_ anywhere," Kumiko said, trying her best to keep down the grape she had just eaten. "Shuichi just helped me get back here, then I went to bed."

Kumiko had been extremely drunk, so she wasn't too clear about the details, but she definitely remembered what had happened before she had gone to sleep. She had to stifle a groan as she thought about the tears she had shed in front of Shuichi, _He_ _'_ _ll never let me live that down._

Even worse than that, though, was her encounter with Reina. She wasn't sure why the thought of their brief meeting the night before made her cringe so much, seeing as nothing _really_ happened. However, she couldn't help but get the feeling that something was wrong with the other girl. _Maybe she got into a fight with Taki-sensei,_ she thought bitterly as she took a sip of water.

"Woah, what's that face for?"

Kumiko looked up suddenly, "Oh, uh, it's nothing," she said quickly, waving her head dismissively. "I guess I just got a little too drunk last night."

Hazuki looked at Kumiko disbelievingly, but didn't say anything else about the matter. Instead, she turned around with a hum and opened her computer.

Pursing her lips, Kumiko looked down at her half-eaten fruit bowl, deciding to give up on trying to eat the rest of it. She put it back on the table and laid down with her back towards the door, hoping to get some more sleep so that she wouldn't have to think or feel anything.

* * *

A few hours later, Kumiko woke up to an empty room. She wasn't sure where Hazuki had gone, but her headache made it impossible to worry about anything other than the shooting pain in her temple. Groaning, she reached over and grabbed the bottle of painkillers next to her head.

Though she still felt terrible, she definitely didn't feel nearly as bad as she had earlier in the day, which she was ever so grateful for.

After taking a sip of water with the pain-killers, Kumiko laid back down with a sigh. Now that she was awake, she couldn't stop the thoughts that she had been trying to suppress from swirling around in her mind.

She didn't know what to do. She was sure now that she wouldn't be able to get over Reina any time soon, for last night, she hadn't even been able to look at another girl without the dark-haired angel popping into her head. Because of this, she wound up dancing and talking with guys instead, knowing full well that it was only a distraction for that moment. Even moreso, when she finally had a moment without Reina being at the forefront of her mind - because she was too drunk to think about anything other than not puking - the girl just had to show up in person.

It felt like the world really did want Kumiko to suffer at the hands of this woman.

Kumiko was about to attempt to go back to sleep when she heard a knock at the door. Groaning, she managed to get herself out of bed, taking her blanket with her.

Opening the door, she half expected it to be Hazuki (the girl forgot her keys more than she cared to admit) but was surprised to find a pair of dark eyes instead of her friend's hazel ones.

"U-Um," Kumiko stuttered, unsure of what to say. "Hi…"

"How are you feeling?" Reina asked, voice as blank as her face.

"Fine, I guess," the red-head replied slowly. She wasn't sure why, but she felt guilty under the other's heavy gaze. _That doesn't make sense, though,_ she thought, frustrated. _I don't have anything to feel guilty_ about.

Reina hummed in response, her eyes shifting up and down Kumiko's figure in the doorway. This, of coursed, caused a blush to form on Kumiko's cheeks.

The two stood across from one another for another quiet moment, the red-head felt awkward. "So…" she started, hesitantly. "Did you…need something?"

Reina smirked lightly, "So rude," she said, though it didn't sound hateful - just as if she was making an observation. Nevertheless, Kumiko's eyes widened, feeling like a child being reprimanded by an adult.

Reina sighed slightly, flipping her long hair over her shoulder, "I just wanted to make sure you weren't lying in your deathbed," she said simply. "You were in quite a state last night."

Kumiko blushed once more and adjusted the blanket around her shoulders awkwardly, "Yeah…I don't drink much, so…"

Reina chuckled dryly, "I got that."

Kumiko's eyebrows drew together at Reina's remark, feeling like there was something she was missing. "Did I do something wrong?"

Reina's blank look resurfaced and she straightened her back slightly, "No, not at all," she said tightly. "Anyway, I see that you're doing fine, so I'll be going."

Kumiko simply replied with a small, _"Okay."_

Reina turned away and began her departure, but stopped after a few steps, turned, and said, "Don't drink anymore."

With that, the dark-haired woman stalked off into her own room, leaving Kumiko dumbfounded.

* * *

Much to the red-head's relief, she was feeling much better by the time Tuesday rolled around. Well, physically, that is. Emotionally, Kumiko felt as if she was nearing her end.

Her encounter with Reina Saturday afternoon had only left her even more frustrated and confused than she already had been. She was beginning to think the other was doing it on purpose, really.

She was trying her best to keep from thinking about such things at the moment, however. It was the day of presentations in Taki-sensei's class and the least Kumiko could do would be to help her partner explain their project - seeing as she barely did any of the actual work.

To say she was nervous about this would be the understatement of the century. The red-head was not very good at public speaking, or speaking in general, for that matter. On top of that, she wasn't too confident about her knowledge of the material, even though Reina had gone out of her way to make flash cards for her. The icing on the cake, however, was the fact that said partner was so extremely calm that it made Kumiko wonder if she was even human.

"You don't have to do any talking if you don't want to, you know," Reina said softly as another team was presenting.

Kumiko jumped slightly at her words, "N-No, it's okay," she tried to convince her partner (and herself). "I can do this."

Reina simply smirked at her slightly and then turned back towards the front.

Kumiko took several deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. _Calm down, Oumae,_ she thought to herself sternly. _It's just reading off a slide, no reason to get so worked up._

Another deep breath.

Inhale. Exhale.

 _Okay, nope, this isn't working. I'm gonna throw up, I'm gonna pass out, I'm gonna-_

"Okay, next is Oumae-san and Kousaka-san."

 _!_

Standing up on shaky legs, Kumiko did her best to follow her partner to the front of the classroom. With each step, her anxiety grew. _Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, god._

She stood awkwardly as Reina inserted the flash drive into Taki-sensei's monitor, allowing it to project on the large screen that was now right behind the red-head. Directly behind her. In fact, she was blocking it. However, she was too consumed in her own nerves to realize this.

Reina cleared her throat softly. No reaction from the red-head. Sighing slightly, she turned to Taki-sensei, "Can we have a moment, please?"

He nodded with an amused look in his eye, which Reina expertly ignored. The dark-haired girl turned towards her partner, "Kumiko."

At the sound of Reina's voice, Kumiko's head snapped up suddenly. She had no time to react, however, because all of a sudden her hand was being pulled towards the direction of the door.

Once they reached the hallway, Reina turned on her heel and stood right in front of the red-head, giving her no room to escape. Kumiko held her breath, _What's happening…?_

Before the red-head could even blush, Reina's hands slapped down on her cheeks suddenly. She kept her hands there, causing Kumiko's face to scrunch up; that, along with her wide eyes, made her look like a puffer-fish for a moment.

"You've got this," Reina said, her hands still on the other's face. "We've gone over the material several times, you have the note cards," her hands slackened slightly on Kumiko's cheeks, now simply holding them in her palms, "and I'm here if you mess up."

At that, she slowly dropped her hands from Kumiko's face and let them fall to her sides, "Are you ready?"

The red-head swallowed, unsure of exactly what had happened in that moment. However, she had to admit that it did make her feel better, so she nodded. At this, Reina gave Kumiko one short, determined nod and then headed back into the classroom.

Kumiko blinked, then smiled, then followed her partner back into the classroom - ready to get this presentation over with.

 **A/N:**

 **Okay, so this wasn't much of a chapter, but I promise even more juicy stuff will happen soon!**

 **Also, in regards to Kumiko's hair, some people have said that it's brown, not red. Well, I suppose it's just one of those "in the eye of the beholder" (or maybe I just rly want her to be a red-head bc I am a red-head...). Either way, I won't be changing it, just because I've always seen her as a red-head myself. Hope this doesn't bother anyone too much!**

 **Thanks again for reading and reviewing!**

 _ **Special thanks to reviewers:**_ _ **xLaShay, ixamxnoxone, ustolemynameagain, Religion0, Psykoakuma, Asuna, asdfyu**_


	8. Misunderstandings

**~ Chapter 8 ~**

Kumiko let out a long, relieved sigh as she walked out of Taki-sensei's class alongside her partner, "Ahh, man. I thought that last pair would never stop talking!"

Looking over at Reina, Kumiko tapped her wrist, "I mean, just look at the time! We got out a whole _ten minutes_ late!"

Reina looked at the other girl's wrist as they walked down the steps of the Social Studies building, "You're not wearing a watch."

Kumiko's eyes widened and a blush tinged her cheeks, "I-I know that." The red-head looked away from the girl that was now smirking in her direction with a pout, "I was just emphasizing my point, sheesh…"

Reina simply chuckled at the pouting girl to her left.

Neither was sure where exactly they were going, but they kept walking, side by side nonetheless.

Kumiko smiled slightly, _Man, this girl really has me wrapped around her little finger, doesn_ _'_ _t she?_

Just the other night, the dark-haired beauty had Kumiko in tears. She couldn't figure her out, she caused her so much heartache, she never had a single clue as to what the girl was thinking; hell, she wasn't even sure if Reina even liked her or if she just enjoyed tormenting her! Yet here she was, walking next to the very source of all of her recent stress, and she was elated.

After all that Reina had put her through, Kumiko thought that she should be avoiding her at all costs; and yet she found that she couldn't no matter how hard she tried. It was like a magnet was pulling her to her silent counterpart. She figured she must be a sadist, for she couldn't seem leave the person that was causing her so much pain and frustration.

 _Wait, or is it a masochist? Ahh, I never remember which is which!_ Her eyebrows drew together, trying to remember which word would suit her inner monologue.

"Kumiko!"

The red-head snapped out of her contemplation at the sound of a voice calling out to her from somewhere behind her. Her face quickly transformed into a scowl as she realized whose voice it was, _Oh, great…_

Reina looked back and began to slow down, Kumiko grabbed her arm and quickened their pace. Reina looked at her counterpart with a confused look, "What are you doing? Someone was-"

"I know, I know," Kumiko said hastily, ducking her head and trying to pretend that she couldn't hear the boy calling out to her as she pulled the girl along with her. "Just ignore him."

Reina continued to look on at the red-head in confusion, but didn't question her. If she had learned anything from the small amount of time she'd spent with Kumiko, it was that she was quite the odd-ball and there wasn't much use in trying to understand her actions at times.

"Oi, Kumiko!"

The voice grew closer as Shuichi neared the girls that were almost running at this point, "I know you can hear me, Ginger!"

With a groan, Kumiko stopped and turned on her heel, causing both Reina and Shuichi to stop suddenly as to avoid running into the annoyed red-head.

"My name is Kumiko, idiot."

Still trying to catch his breath, Shuichi gave the girl a sloppy smirk, "Oh really? I wasn't sure if it was anymore, seeing as you wouldn't answer the _thousand_ times I called out to you."

Kumiko huffed and stuck her nose in the air, "Well, maybe I didn't hear you."

The boy sighed in frustration, knowing that arguing with his childhood friend was pointless. She always seemed to win, anyway. "I was just coming to check on you. We haven't talked since the other night so-"

"I'm fine. So you don't need to worry about it," the red-head snapped, about to turn away. However, she was held back by Shuichi's hand on her arm.

"Hey, what's your problem? I was just-"

Kumiko looked up when the boy stopped talking mid-sentence. She was about to make a sarcastic remark when she noticed Shuichi staring at the space between her and Reina, who had been silently watching as the two bickered. Furrowing her eyebrows, Kumiko followed his line of sight and paled instantly as she realized what he was staring at.

The red-head had gotten distracted by the boy and had forgotten to let go of Reina's hand after trying to make their escape. A small noise of distress left her mouth as she quickly dropped the girls hand, blushing furiously.

Shuichi looked at Kumiko as if he had seen a ghost. She swore she could see the cogs turning in his head as he looked at her with wide eyes, _He knows._

Swallowing hard, the red-head opened her mouth to tell the boy to get lost, however she was interrupted by the girl who had been silent throughout the whole encounter. "I'm leaving."

Kumiko's head turned in surprise, "What?"

Reina didn't humor the girl with an answer, however, for she had already begun walking away.

The red-head began to call out for the girl as she took a step in her direction, but was once again held back by Shuichi, "Kumiko-"

Jerking her arm away from the boy, Kumiko glared at him, "Why won't you just leave me alone? Can't you tell I don't want you around?!"

She turned back towards the way Reina had left but saw that the girl had already made quite far away, walking at a very fast pace. With a sigh, Kumiko closed her eyes in frustration. _Why can_ _'_ _t I just have one good day?_

She glanced back at the boy who was still standing there and was shocked by his appearance. Kumiko wasn't sure what to make of the mixture of emotions that were being displayed on Shuichi's face; anger, sadness, confusion, frustration. Kumiko was sure she had said meaner things to the boy in the past, so why did his face make her feel so bad in this moment?

"Shuichi?"

At her sudden inquiry, the boy blinked, as if coming out of deep thought. He looked at her with eyes full of emotion and gave her a bitter smile, "I'll see you later, Kumiko."

Kumiko watched the boy that she had grown up with walk away and couldn't help but feel guilty. She wasn't sure why, she had never felt guilty for hurting Shuichi's feelings before; but for some reason, the look in his eyes, the look of pure hurt, it made Kumiko wish - for once - that she hadn't said what she did.

She wondered briefly if she should follow him and try to apologize, but pride quickly pushed that thought away. She had never apologized to that boy before, and she wasn't about to start now (though she recognized how childish that thought was, she still stuck to it). Turning back the way she and Reina had originally been walking, the red-head slowly left the scene of the crime.

* * *

Kumiko didn't know what had made her want to do this. She didn't even remember making the decision to walk in this direction. She hadn't even thought about where she was going until she looked up and saw that she had stopped right in front of the steps of the Social Studies building. Now, by some force of nature, she was unable to move away, as she had only one thought in her mind.

As if he had sensed her reason for coming to this certain place, the man in question had just opened exited the building and stopped suddenly as he saw the red-head standing in the middle of the steps, her hard gaze landing on him. He swallowed slightly, then furrowed his eyebrows, _Why am I getting intimidated by one of my worst students?_

Expertly hiding his slight fear of the girl in front of him, Taki-sensei put on his usual smile and walked towards his student. "Good afternoon, Oumae-san," he said politely. "Did you need something?"

Kumiko looked down then, unsure about what she should say. She knew what she wanted to ask him, it had plagued her mind for days on end. She had woken up thinking about it, fallen asleep thinking about it; and apparently, she even thought about it when she _wasn_ _'_ _t_ thinking about it, considering the fact that her feet had taken her to confront the man that held her animosity against her own will.

Clearing her throat and lifting her head slightly, Kumiko decided to take a leap of faith.

"Are you hungry?"

* * *

Okay, so she didn't mean for it to come out the way it had. She just wanted to be able to have a conversation with the guy! However, as soon as she saw the look on Taki-sensei's face (a look of pure confusion and terror), Kumiko realized that she probably should have gone about things a different way.

Luckily, Taki-sensei had simply chuckled and led the way to a nearby food vendor and the two were currently sitting on a bench enjoying their meals; albeit very awkwardly.

The red-head had no idea how to go about bringing up the subject of his and Reina's relationship, whatever it was. She was sure he was curious to know why she had asked him to eat with her, seeing as the two had barely even spoken to each other, unless Taki-sensei was reprimanding her for something.

 _This was a bad idea. I should have just my curiosity eat away at me for the rest of eternity. I should have just ignored how much it bothers me. I should have just…_

With a sigh, Kumiko looked at the man next to her. She knew she couldn't stall for much longer, they were both almost finished eating, after all.

The red-head opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She tried again, but with no results once again.

Taki-sensei watched as his student opened and closed her mouth several times, looking like a fish out of water. Chuckling slightly, he tilted his head to the side and flashed Kumiko his signature smile (which, unbeknownst to him, annoyed her immensely), "Whatever it is you wish to know, I'm sure I can give you an answer."

Scowling, Kumiko looked down at her feet. She mumbled something quietly and then quickly turned her head away from the history professor.

Taki-sensei leaned forward slightly, "What was that?"

Kumiko mumbled once again, although a bit louder, though still inaudible to most human ears. Taki-sensei tried to maneuver so that he could see the girl's face, "What?"

Turning to the professor hastily with a frustrated look on her face, Kumiko opened her mouth to repeat what she had said yet again but, instead, let out a yelp as she realized how close Taki-sensei had become. The two jumped apart, Kumiko's flushing and Taki-sensei scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Another uncomfortable moment passed as the two sat side by side, a bit farther away than before. Eventually, Kumiko cleared her throat, deciding to get all of this out of the way.

"What is your, um…connection to Reina?"

Taki-sensei looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected Kumiko to ask such a question. "Kousaka-san?"

Kumiko nodded, not meeting the older man's eyes. Taki-sensei shifted slightly in his seat, pondering the question.

"Well, like I've told you before, we've known each other for quite a while," the professor stated simply. "Our father's are good friends, you see."

Kumiko looked up, interested in the new information she had just been given, "Really? So you guys are, like, family friends or something?"

Taki-sensei looked ahead, seeming thoughtful, "Yes, I suppose you could say that."

Looking at the red-head, Taki-sensei sighed as he realized that she wasn't satisfied with that answer. _Such a stubborn girl._

"When I was a teenager, my father took my sister and I to visit a friend of his. Apparently, they hadn't seen each other in several years, so it was sort of a reunion for the two of them," Taki-sensei began. "He introduced us to his friend and his family, Kousaka-san included. She and my sister became fairly close, since they were closer in age. I was quite a bit older, however, so I was sort of the designated baby-sitter whenever we went to visit." The dark-haired man chuckled, remembering his teenage days.

"Kousaka-san and I weren't particularly close back then. There were times when she would get hurt or sad about something and I would do my best to make her feel better - we even played music together from time to time, but that was about it.

"Eventually, I went off to college and only saw Kousaka-san and her family during the holidays here and there. Then, years later, her father contacted me to let me know that she was planning on becoming a student here, and to keep an eye on her," Taki-sensei looked at Kumiko with a small smile, "He's a pretty protective father, you see."

The history professor looked out over the campus with a small shrug, "That's about it."

The red-head nodded and looked down, furrowing her eyebrows. She didn't know why, but she felt like he hadn't told her all of the story.

"So, that's it?" She pried, uncaring as to whether she was crossing the line that was between a teacher and his student. "You guys aren't…you know…"

In that moment, the side of Taki-sensei that Kumiko rarely saw, though she knew it was there, reared its head as he slowly let a smirk take over his face. He looked at her with mirthful eyes and a raised brow, "'You know'?"

Kumiko sighed out of frustration, _Now he's just messing with me._

" _You know_ ," she said, annoyed. "Like, together…"

Taki-sensei chuckled at the red-head's annoyance and patted her on the head, causing a scowl to cross over her features, "You sure are a nosey one, aren't you?"

Removing his hand from her head, Kumiko glared at the professor, "I'm serious," she said, turning to face him fully. "Are you guys a couple or not?"

Smirk still set on his face, Taki-sensei looked Kumiko in the eye as he replied, "No, we're not."

Kumiko tried to hide the relief from showing on her face with little success, _Okay, well at least that's good to know._

"Were you guys ever in a relationship before?"

Taki-sensei laughed outright at this, amused by the fact that she was asking such questions of her own professor, "No, we weren't."

With a short nod, Kumiko turned back to sit forward again.

"She told you she liked me, huh?"

Kumiko's head turned back to Taki-sensei in an instant and was greeted by his casual smile which was back in place. For some reason, she wanted to deny it, but she knew there was no point. Scowling once again, she nodded.

Taki-sensei nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, I figured she did. Otherwise, you wouldn't be asking such questions."

Kumiko had to stop herself from giving in to the urge to hit the man next to her, _So cocky…_

She pushed her frustration aside to focus on the subject at hand, "So, you know," the red-head stated simply. "Does she know? You know, that you know…"

Obviously amused by Kumiko's awkwardness, Taki-sensei smirked once again and leaned back and looked away from his student, "Yes, she told me herself, after all." Looking back to the red-head, the man had a look of slight haunting in his eyes, "That was one conversation that I never want to have again, with anyone."

"I'm assuming it didn't go well?"

With a chuckle, Taki-sensei nodded, "No rejection goes well, I'm afraid."

 _Oh…_

So Reina's heart had been broken by the man she loved. She had laid out her heart and he had, in his oh-so-annoyingly-polite way, broken it in half and handed it right back to her. Probably all the while with that sickening smile on his face.

 _What. An. Ass._

Kumiko was having a hard time hiding her dislike for Taki-sensei after learning all of this new information, so she quickly stood, startling the dark-haired man slightly. "Thank you for letting me know, have a good day."

She quickly set off in any direction that would take her far away from the terrible man sitting behind her but was interrupted by his call for her to wait. She hesitantly slowed, huffing. "Yes?"

She heard him walk towards her but didn't dare turn around, knowing she wouldn't be able to hide her annoyance on her face.

"Since I answered your question, how about you answer mine?"

Kumiko could hear the smirk in his voice. Through clenched teeth, the red-head replied, "And what's that?"

"When are you going to tell her about _your_ feelings, Oumae-san?"

 **A/N:**

 **Okay so yeah it's been a really long time since I've updated and I'm sorry for that! I got stuck on this chapter for a while, plus I get distracted very easily and excuses excuses. But I hope this chapter will make up for it bc ~plot development~ and ~cliffhanger~!**

 **Also, just wanna say that I personally love Taki-sensei, but it's just too much fun to make him annoy Kumiko so much :3**

 **Hope you guys liked it! 3**

 _ **Special Thanks to Reviewers:**_ _ **ustolemynameagain, Religion0, Psykoakuma, ixamxnoxone, Asuna, RawrrImADinosaurFearMe, ApplesauceAuthor, Theretardedone, Megane-chan, CDAndy**_


	9. Girls, Girls, Girls

_Themes (so far…):_

 _Kumiko ~ Take It or Leave It - Cage the Elephant_

 _Hazuki ~ Gonna Get Over You - Sara Bareilles_

 _Shuichi ~ Miss Missing You - Fall Out Boy_

 **~ Chapter 9 ~**

" _When are you going to tell her about_ your _feelings, Oumae-san?"_

The question rang in Kumiko's ears as if he had shouted them. She was sure he had, because surely she had never heard his voice so _loudly._

Along with the ringing in her ears, the red-head's face was burning as if he had slapped her as well. Had he slapped her too? No. That wasn't possible, she was still facing away from him.

"Oumae-san?"

Kumiko jumped and squared her shoulders, finally processing the question fully - and registering the heat on her face as being due to unrelenting _embarrassment_ at the realization.

"Um..!" She spluttered, unable to form a coherent response to the sudden question. She cleared her throat and turned her head a fraction towards the professor, "I…have no idea what you mean."

Taki-sensei merely hummed as if pondering her answer as he turned away, "Alright, then."

Kumiko turned slightly to watch the dark-haired man walking away from her, blush still in place. She watched as he stopped slightly and turned to her with his signature smile - her endless annoyance, "I'll see you in class next week, Oumae-san."

With that, Taki-sensei left Kumiko to her own thoughts on her own walk back to her dorm.

* * *

"So of _course_ , after he said that to me I had no _choice_ but to shove my half-eaten corn dog in…his.." Hazuki's story of her encounter with an especially dedicated fan of the rival football team at a recent game trailed off as she looked up at her friend.

"Kumikooo," the brunette whined, causing the spaced out red-head to jump slightly. "You're not even listening to my super great story," Hazuki said with a pout.

Kumiko sighed slightly as she smiled apologetically at her best friend, "I'm sorry, Hazuki. I'm just a little distracted, I guess."

"No kidding," Hazuki said with a laugh as her pout vanished and made way for a genuine smile. Sensing that it was time for some Super Friend Support, as she liked to call it (albeit only to herself), the brunette leaned forward in her seat, which she had spun around so that she could lean on the back of it. "Sooo," she pressed, knowing it would take quite a lot of prodding to get any information out of her friend, _Good thing I'm the best at being nosy!_

"So - what?"

With an overdramatic sigh, Hazuki spun around in her chair, flinging her appendages out, adding even more unnecessary dramatics (though the brunette would adamantly disagree, "Dramatics are _always_ necessary!").

" _So,_ what's got you so distracted lately?"

Kumiko flushed slightly and looked away awkwardly, which only made Hazuki even more curious, _This is gonna be a good one, I can feel it,_ the brunette thought with a sly grin.

"It's nothing, really," the red-head said, shifting in her place on her bed across from her friend. "I've just been stressed because of - uh - school…and stuff."

Hazuki looked on as her friend tried to come up with a valid excuse, she was quiet for a moment, her face looking thoughtful as she considered what Kumiko had said. Then, her pensive demeanor was replaced with mirth as she began laughing. The red-head looked up with furrowed brows as Hazuki continued to laugh, doubling over until she had fallen off her chair and was clutching her stomach on the ground, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Uh..Hazuki?"

The brunette held up a finger at her friend's inquiry and stopped laughing long enough to mutter a quick, "One second, please," before she continued on with her bout of laughter.

Kumiko rolled her eyes and waited until her friend calmed down, which took a bit longer than she felt was necessary. After a few more mirthful-ridden moments, Hazuki's laughter began to come to its end as she climbed her way back onto her chair with a contented sigh, sitting correctly this time.

"Okay, I'm done now."

Looking at Hazuki with the driest look she could muster, Kumiko raised a brow as she waited for her friend to elaborate. Sensing her friend's impatience, Hazuki smirked playfully, "You don't care enough about school to be distracted by it, Ku-mi-ko."

The red-head thought about that for a second and decided that her friend was right, _Could have thought of a better excuse than that, idiot,_ Kumiko thought to herself with an inward groan.

"Okay, okay, you got me," Kumiko sighed. "It's not because of school, but I really don't wanna talk about it, okay?"

Hazuki nodded for a second with pursed lips, but then surprised Kumiko once again by stating, "Nope, still not good enough. Try again."

 _No getting out of this one, I guess…_

Kumiko didn't hold back her groan this time as she flopped back onto her bed and covered her face with her arm, "It's this _person,_ alright?"

At this, Hazuki's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She jumped up as quickly as she could and hopped onto Kumiko's bed, causing the red-head to let out a surprised squeal.

"I can't believe this!" Hazuki exclaimed, grabbing one of Kumiko's pillows and hugging it to her chest, "Kumiko has a _crush!"_

Groaning once again, the red-head stood and took Hazuki's previous spot on her computer chair, "I do not have a…"

 _Oh, what's the point?_

"Okay, maybe I do have a…" Kumiko hesitated, not looking forward to how Hazuki would react once she actually said the word.

"You do have a…?"

Kumiko was glad she was facing away from her friend so that she couldn't see the grimace that graced her features in that moment. However, she knew she couldn't avoid the inevitable forever; after all, Hazuki had successfully cornered the red-head with nowhere to run.

 _Well, actually, the door is right there…_

Shaking her head, Kumiko braced herself as she muttered the words, "A crush…"

She wasn't even too sure Hazuki heard the admittance because the second the words left her mouth, the brunette had let out the shrillest, loudest squeal Kumiko had ever heard (and that was saying something, for she and Hazuki had been friends for a very long time).

" _You have a crush!_ "

Hazuki hugged her friend as tightly as she could as she cooed over her in delight. She just couldn't believe that her best friend - her little _Kumiko_ \- had finally caught the Love Bug! _About time, I thought she'd become one of those lonely cat ladies…_

Then Hazuki realized something. Pulling away from her friend - who was very grateful for the ability to breathe again - the brunette held onto Kumiko's shoulder as she looked at her with serious eyes, "Who is it?"

The guilty look that crossed over Kumiko's eyes did nothing to ease Hazuki's sudden anxiety, "That's, uh…" she rubbed the back of her head, eyes darting to the side as she avoided her friend's prying gaze. "You…don't really need to know that, do you?"

Those words felt like a slap in the face to the brunette, in fact, she visibly flinched at them. Pulling away from Kumiko, Hazuki turned away and tried to contain herself. She knew this day would come, had seen it play out so many times in her head, and yet the throbbing ache in her chest still screamed at her as she came to the realization that her deepest fear was becoming a reality.

"Hazuki?"

Holding back the tears that threatened to fall at any second, Hazuki plastered a smile on her face, yet she didn't dare turn around just yet. "You don't have to say anything, Kumiko. I get it."

Confusion and fear laced Kumiko's voice as she called out to her friend once more, but Hazuki couldn't bring herself to try and ease her concerns. Mustering up all her strength, the brunette forced herself to turn and face her friend. The shock and concern on Kumiko's face pained Hazuki more than she thought was possible, but no matter how much it hurt her to see her friend like that, it couldn't drown out the heartache that had found its home in her heart so long ago. The ache that had sat and festered for longer than she cared to admit. The ache that had threatened to take her over and make her do, say, and think things that she would never have if it weren't for the dark feeling in her heart.

All this time, she had done a pretty great job of ignoring the darkness festering inside of her. She had ignored it and refused to acknowledge its presence unless she was in the safety of her own seclusion; only then would she allow the darkness of her heart rear its ugly head. Even then, however, she would not let it completely take her over.

That was then. Now, Hazuki was sure she'd have a much harder time suppressing her dark feelings, since the possibility she had been fearing had finally become a reality.

Kumiko liked Shuichi. She knew that was it, why else would she refuse to tell Hazuki who it was? Even though the brunette had never actually admitted to her friend that she had feelings for Kumiko's childhood friend, she was sure it was quite obvious. In fact, every time Shuichi showed up, Kumiko made some lame excuse to leave Hazuki and the boy alone together - or, at least, that's what she had thought at the time. Looking back, the brunette figured it was possible that Kumiko had left because she couldn't stand being with the boy she liked _and_ the friend who liked _him._

 _Oh, Kumiko,_ Hazuki thought, trying even harder to hold back her tears. _Always so considerate of my feelings, even when I'm sure it hurts her, too…_

"Don't worry, Kumiko," Hazuki said, smiling as best she could at her best friend. "I understand."

Before Kumiko could say anything, Hazuki hastily made her exit, knowing that she couldn't hold back her tears for much longer - especially not while Kumiko looked at her with eyes so full of innocence and anxiety.

She could hear the red-head calling after her, but she didn't dare turn back. As she made her way down the hallway, each step growing faster and more sporadic, Hazuki willed herself to keep the darkness from spilling over. Her eyes grew blurry as she began to run, causing her to run into someone leaving their dorm. She muttered an apology as best she could, but only a sob left her lips. Her hand flew to her mouth and she looked up to see Kousaka Reina with an odd look on her face.

She heard Kumiko's voice from a few feet behind her, but it only caused her to begin running once again, for now that the tears had begun to fall, she knew that they wouldn't stop for a long, long time.

* * *

"Hazuki!"

Kumiko called after her friend once again to no avail as the brunette ran past a confused Reina until she was out of sight. The red-head wanted to go running after her, every cell in her body was shouting at her to move her feet and find out why Hazuki was so upset. However, she decided against it. She knew Hazuki more than anyone, and she knew when the girl needed to be alone - this was one of those times.

Sighing, Kumiko tore her eyes away from the place she had last seen her friend and instead looked at the girl that was now approaching her with slight worry in her otherwise calm eyes.

"What happened to your roommate?"

With a shake of her head, Kumiko looked down, "I have no idea, actually."

A soft "hn" was all Reina responded with, leaving the two in a sudden, awkward silence. With Hazuki's sudden outburst, Kumiko hadn't even had time to feel tense when she first saw Reina leave her room. Now, however, with no distraction, she felt nothing but tense.

"So-"

"Do-"

The two girls shifted awkwardly as they spoke at the same time, Kumiko motioned for Reina to speak first, knowing she would probably make the situation worse if she were to say anything.

Reina cleared her throat softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kumiko blinked in surprise, expecting Reina to say pretty much anything _but_ that. "Um, I, uh.."

Sensing Kumiko's apprehension, Reina added, "If you're not comfortable with that, though-"

"No!" Kumiko blurted out, then blushed and scratched the back of her head with an awkward smile, "I-I mean, it's okay. There's just not much to talk about, really."

Reina nodded, though Kumiko felt like she wanted to say something. Nevertheless, the dark-haired woman turned to head back down the hall.

Watching her walk away, Kumiko couldn't help but feel disheartened. _There I go again, ruining the moment._

"U-Um!"

Kumiko covered her mouth, unsure how or why the sound had escaped. She watched as Reina turned, raising an eyebrow in silent question. The red-head stared for a moment, both taking in the beauty before her (as always) and trying to think of an excuse for her sudden outburst.

"Um," she repeated, looking down at her fumbling hands. "Thanks."

She peeked up at Reina and noted the slight confusion on her features (she also noted that she looked ridiculously cute when she was confused). "For offering to talk, and stuff, I mean," she clarified. "Thank you."

Reina's features smoothed out into a small smile, causing Kumiko's heart to beat faster than normal and her breathing to become uneven. "You're welcome, Kumiko."

With that, she made her way back to her room and Kumiko was left feeling even more stressed and confused than she did earlier that day - which she didn't even know was possible.

Following Reina's lead, Kumiko headed back to her room and sprawled out on her bed, face down.

Kumiko knew she wasn't the smartest, nor the most observant when it came to other people and their emotions; but she was sure that she was surrounded by the most _confusing_ people in the world.

First Shuichi, with his annoying knight-in-shining-armor complex, causing her endless frustration and anger. Then there was Taki-sensei, who gave a new definition to the word "infuriating" and always seemed to know just how to get under her skin, as if it was a honed talent that he had been working on for years. Those two were usual annoyances, though; Kumiko was at least used to them. Now, Hazuki had to join the mix, too?

Usually, her friend was pretty open about her feelings when it came to the red-head, but lately Kumiko had noticed a silent struggle occurring within the brunette. She hadn't approached the girl about it, figuring that she just needed to work things out a bit herself before she said anything to Kumiko. However, her recent episode worried the red-head immensely and had her wondering if she should have confronted the girl about it earlier; and the fact that it seemed to have something to do with Kumiko made her even more worried. Had she done something to hurt her friend without realizing it? Was Hazuki offended because she wouldn't tell her who she had feelings for? Kumiko froze. What if she had figured out who Kumiko liked and didn't agree with it? The two had never really had any conversations about their opinions on things such as homosexuality before, but Kumiko had always figured that Hazuki wouldn't mind it; she was such a kind person, after all. She couldn't possibly be so disgusted and disappointed in Kumiko for being in love with another girl that she would react so harshly, could she? Kumiko swallowed hard, hoping that she was wrong in that train of thought.

However, such train of thought brought her to the very core of her frustrations and confusion: Kousaka Reina. Kumiko swore that the girl must be majoring in Misleading Your Admirer with a minor in Being Ridiculously Hot, because, boy, was she great at those very things. One second, things were perfect, so perfect that Kumiko thought that there was a small possibility that Reina could start to return her feelings, or at least become her friend. Then, out of nowhere, like a switch being flipped, she would become distant and act as if she wanted nothing to do with the red-head. Worst of all, Kumiko always felt guilty for some reason, as if she had done something wrong in order to make Reina act so cold towards her. _But that doesn't make any sense, does it? I haven't done anything!_

… _Right?_

Groaning, Kumiko flipped onto her back and glared at the ceiling. All this thinking was getting her nowhere, it just made her more frustrated at the world and led to no conclusions.

 _Well, that's not exactly true,_ Kumiko thought with bitter mirth. _I have reached one conclusion:_

 _Girls are confusing as hell._

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Man, it hurt my heart so much to write Hazuki in this chapter. She's always been one of my favorite characters because of how positive and caring she is all the time, even when she's hurting herself. Don't worry though, she'll be okay in the end; she just needs some time...and she also needs to not jump to conclusions...**

 **Hope you guys liked this one! The songs above are ones that make me think about the situations the characters are going through in this story. I'm in the process of making a Spotify playlist with songs that remind me of this story, I'll post a link to it once it's done!**

 _ **Special Thanks to Reviewers:** **Psykoakuma, AwkwardlyKuuQueenie2222, ixamxnoxone, Asuna, RawrrImADinosaurFearMe, GPineapple, The Flying Lion, ustolemynameagain**_

 _ **Also, to a certain Guest who is wondering if the story will get an eventual M rating (wink wink), probably not...Only because my little heart might actually burst if I tried writing anything like that (also my face would catch fire from all the blushing). BUT there miiiight be a little implied somethin somethin at some point...Guess you'll have to wait and see! :3**_


	10. Extra Chapter: Kumiko and Hazuki

_Inspired by: If You Were Gay - Avenue Q_

 **~ Kumiko and Hazuki ~**

"Kumikooooo," Hazuki whined, leaning forward in her chair with a pout. "C'mooon, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

The red-head sighed from her spot at her desk. Ever since she had gotten back to the dorm that day, her roommate had not let go of the subject of her distractions. Sure, Kumiko had been completely out of it lately due to a certain dark-haired beauty, but that didn't mean she had to _talk_ about it! Especially not to her friend that didn't even know that she liked women in _that way._

"It's nothing, Hazuki," Kumiko said with slight annoyance, hoping her friend would drop it if she realized how much it was getting on the red-head's nerves.

Hazuki sighed loudly and turned away from her friend, "Fiiine."

Kumiko let out her own small sigh of relief at her friend's agreement, _Finally. Peace and-_

"Buuuut," Kumiko groaned as her friend quickly made a U-turn and leaned on her desk, "just so ya know, it's okay."

The red-head's brows furrowed as she looked up at her friend who was currently looking at her with barely hidden mirth, "What's okay?"

"That you're gay!"

Kumiko spluttered as she quickly leaned away from her friend, causing her to fall on the ground with a small _humph!_

"W-What?" Kumiko shrieked, eyes bugging out of her head and face as red as a stop light, "I'm-I'm not-! I don't-! I-I'm not gay!"

Hazuki looked on at her flustered friend and could barely hold back her laughter, "Oh, really?"

"Really!" Kumiko exclaimed hastily, jumping up from her place on the ground and plopping back down on her seat. "Now, can we _please_ stop talking about this?"

Hazuki hummed in amusement and strolled around her best friend, "Alright, fine."

"Thank you," Kumiko sighed once more.

"But just so you know,"

 _Ugh._

"If you _weeere_ gay,"

Kumiko groaned once again and dropped her head to her desk, trying to block out her friend's teasing.

"If you just so _happened_ to be in love with a certain _girl,_ _"_

 _This is it, this is how I die,_ Kumiko thought miserably. _Death by embarrassment. And obnoxiousness._

"A certain _girl_ who lives just a few doors down from _us,_ _"_

Kumiko groaned once again, louder than before, and covered her head with her arms. "Hazuki, can you please-"

" _If_ that was the case," Hazuki said as she leaned over her friend with a knowing smile. "I wouldn't care, you know."

Her red-headed friend peeked up from under her forearm quietly and muttered a soft, "Really?"

The brunette nodded once and smiled at her friend. Kumiko leaned back slowly, looking down at her lap with a blush still staining her cheeks. Hazuki wasn't exactly sure, but she thought she could see the beginnings of a few tears forming her eyes, as well.

"Thanks, Hazuki."

Kumiko looked up at her friend and hoped she could see the gratefulness that she felt written on her face. She did, of course, and answered it with a smile.

"But I do have one question," Hazuki said, turning serious suddenly.

Kumiko turned to her friend and nodded, "Sure, anything."

Hazuki lifted her head high and closed her eyes, preparing to ask whatever it was she wanted to know. Kumiko swallowed hard, _This can_ _'_ _t be good._ The brunette took a deep breath and then looked at her friend with hooded eyes, full of mischief.

"Have you ever thought of doing it with me?"

At that, Kumiko's pleasant expression dropped into one of dry annoyance. Ignoring her friend's bout of laughter at her expense, the red-head left her seat and headed for the door, knowing that she would never hear the end of this. The last thing she saw as she closed the door to her dorm was her friend lying on the ground, tears in her eyes as she laughed at her own joke.

 _I should have known that was coming._

* * *

 ** _A/N:_**

 **B)**

 **Okay, so this was actually based off of how I had originally planned on chapter 9 to go, albeit not as playful. Then I decided to get all angsty and stuff, but I still loved this idea so here you go! It has nothing to do with the actual story of course, next chapter will be back to the angst! :3**

 **Also, if you're into musicals and comedy, Avenue Q is amazing and hilarious and I suggest everyone gives it a try. 3**


	11. Knowing & Not Knowing

**~ Chapter 10 ~**

A week had passed since Kumiko's conversation with Taki-sensei and Hazuki's breakdown, and the red-head had since felt as if she was on _everyone_ _'_ _s_ bad side. Well, everyone except for Taki-sensei, who had seemed particularly amused every time he had seen her in class - especially when she was anywhere near Reina.

Said woman had been acting very strange since the week before. Kumiko had been wracking her mind as to figure out why Reina had been acting in such a way, but had not been able to come to any valid conclusions other than "she just hates me" or "maybe she's on her period?"

On top of that, Hazuki had been avoiding her roommate completely; in fact, the red-head had barely seen her friend since the day she ran out on her. It seemed as if the brunette had made sure to be out of the room any time she knew that Kumiko would be there - she wasn't even sure if the girl had slept!

Adding to the mix of strange behavior, Shuichi had been especially…normal since Kumiko had snapped at him the day she was with Reina. He had barely even been annoying! Which, in turn, annoyed Kumiko even more. After all, the red-head had gotten used to his aggravating ways and was frustrated to have their routine interrupted (though she would never admit this, she was much to proud - read: stubborn - for that).

Everything was topsy-turvy in the red-head's life and she was not enjoying it one bit. However, she had no idea how to fix it.

She had tried talking to Reina, but, per usual, she could barely find the words she needed in the moment and when she finally did stop fumbling around all she had managed was a joke about their current lesson on Mao Zedong - which wasn't even funny to herself, so she wasn't surprised when Reina only reacted with a blank stare. Likewise, there had been no luck in trying to discuss Hazuki's behavior, seeing as she hadn't even really _seen_ the girl.

Kumiko huffed from her seat in the library as she continued to dwell over her current situation, as she had been doing for days. She had initially come to the library to study for an impending math test coming up later that week, but as she looked down at her half-filled page, she realized that she had gotten distracted by her own thoughts once again - which was not the least bit surprising.

"Kumiko-san?"

The red-head looked up to see a short, blonde girl standing beside the table where she was currently sitting. It took her a moment to place the girl, but she eventually remembered her from a class she and Hazuki had with her their first semester at school.

"Ah, Sapphire-san," Kumiko said, smiling at the odd-named girl who was now taking a seat across from her own. "What's up?"

With a slight blush, Sapphire rubbed the back of her head, "Um, actually, would you mind calling me Midori?"

"Huh?" Kumiko furrowed her brows before jumping slightly, her eyes bulging. "Oh, no, did I get your name wrong? Oh, I'm so sorry! I thought for sure that it-!"

A harsh _shh_ coming from the librarians desk interrupted Kumiko's outburst, causing her to blush and whisper a quick "sorry" to the older man who was currently sending her a barely repressed glare.

She looked back over to the girl across from her and saw that she was laughing quietly. After pulling herself together, the blonde gave Kumiko a sweet smile, "You didn't forget, Kumiko-san. My name _is_ Sapphire, but it's so strange that I prefer to be called Midori."

Kumiko let out a sigh of relief, happy that she hadn't been so insensitive to forget the name of her classmate. "Okay. Midori it is, then."

At this, Midori - formerly known as Sapphire - smiled once again. Then, as if remembering why she had approached the red-head in the first place, her face became stern. "Um, I was wondering if you knew what was wrong with Hazuki-san?"

At Kumiko's seemingly confused expression, Midori added, "I just know you two are roommates so I figured you would know what was going on with her. She hasn't been acting like herself in class lately."

The red-head furrowed her brows and looked down, contemplating what the girl had said. Since she hadn't seen Hazuki in days, she hadn't known what sort of state she was in. She had assumed she was her usual, easy-going self and was just too embarrassed to confront Kumiko about her outburst; now, she realized that whatever had gotten to Hazuki that day must have been even more important than she had originally thought.

"I wish I could say I knew what's up with her, but I don't," Kumiko said, sounding frustrated.

Midori hummed sympathetically, she could tell that the red-head was even more worried for Hazuki than she herself was. "I'm sure she'll come around, you two are best friends, after all."

The blonde was surprised when her statement caused Kumiko to deflate slightly, "Kumiko-san? Are you okay?"

Kumiko nodded but kept her gaze downcast, "I'm just not a very good best friend, I think."

Midori's eyes widened as she took in the sullen red-head across from her, "Kumiko…"

The blonde stood from her seat and moved to sit next to the other girl, hoping to console her in some way.

"Do…you want to talk about it?" Midori asked softly, hoping she wasn't crossing a line with the red-head whom she barely knew.

Kumiko took in a slow breath and held it in for a moment. The blonde waited as she watched the other girl close her eyes, her cheeks looking as if she had stuffed them with acorns like a chipmunk. Then, the red-head's eyes bulged open as she released her breath all at once, leaning forward until her head hit the table.

Midori continued to watch the odd spectacle, unsure of what to do at this point. Despite her worries, however, Kumiko bolted upright quickly, a determined smile on her face.

"I'm fine, Sapphi-uh, Midori-chan!" she held up her right fist to her chest, her eyes ablaze and her face serious. "I will figure out what's going on with Hazuki, don't you worry!"

With that, she gathered up her belongings and dashed for the door. Midori blinked a few times as she stared at the red-head's retreating figure. Then, she simply let out a giggle, _How cute!_

* * *

Finding Hazuki turned out to be much more difficult than Kumiko had initially planned. After looking all over the library, dining hall, and other popular areas to no avail, the red-head had begun searching anywhere and everywhere her friend could be. Her burst of determination to help her friend had long since faded and was replaced with the hopelessness that had plagued her before her conversation with Midori, nevertheless she kept searching for her friend until the sun started to set. After hours of running (and sulking) around campus with nothing to show for it other than her own aching feet, Kumiko decided to head back to her dorm, with a fleeting hope that Hazuki would change her recent routine and come back to the room before Kumiko went to sleep.

 _Oh, who am I kidding?_ Kumiko thought pitifully. _She hates me now, she's probably at the Housing Office right now trying to change rooms or something, seeing as she can't even stand to be in the same room as me now…_

Realizing that she had made it to her floor, the sullen red-head paused. Looking to her right, she noticed that she had stopped in front of Reina's door. _Of course._

With a huff, Kumiko started walking towards her own room.

One step.

 _Pause._

Two steps, three steps.

 _Pause._

Four…

Suddenly, Kumiko turned on her heel and quickly made her way back to where she had stopped before. Standing in front of Reina's door, she raised her arm and hesitated before knocking slightly.

She waited for a moment, each second causing her nerves to buzz louder and louder in her mind.

 _Did I knock too quietly? Is she even home? What about her roommate? What time is it? This was a bad idea, wasn't it? Oh god, why am I so dumb, how could I have thought this was a good idea?! I should just-_

Her frantic thoughts were interrupted when the door opened to reveal Reina; if she was caught off guard by the red-head's visit, she didn't let on much. The only hint at her surprise was a slight raising of her left eyebrow, which vanished as soon as it arrived - and, of course, Kumiko caught every subtle movement.

"Uh, hey," Kumiko said awkwardly, giving Reina a half-wave.

"Hey," the dark-haired girl replied.

The two stood there in silence for a moment, neither sure of what to say; Reina, because she had not been expecting a visit - especially from this certain red-head - and assumed the girl had a reason for coming. Kumiko, because she had absolutely no reason for coming and simply acted on impulse, _I've really gotta work on that…_

In their silent lapse, Kumiko took an opportunity to take in the sight before her - per usual.

Seeing as it was the evening, and a school night, Reina had already changed into her pajamas. She was wearing a simple white v-neck shirt, pink polka-dotted sweatpants, and light pink slippers in the shape of bunnies. Her hair was pulled up into a pony-

 _Waitwaitwait_

The red-head's eyes zeroed in on the other girl's feet, or, more specifically, the _ridiculously cute_ bunny slippers that covered them.

 _She's. Wearing. Bunny. Slippers._

Kumiko took that moment to silently thank whatever Gods that existed that she was able to be alive in this moment, for now she really felt she could die and go to Heaven - because, really, nothing would be any different than this very second. Her Heaven would simply be her, standing across from a beautiful angel who was wearing pajamas and _bunny slippers_.

Though she didn't realize it, an astonished laugh had left Kumiko's mouth as she took in Reina's footwear. At this, Reina looked down and realized just what had distracted the red-head. She then raised her head, cleared her throat pointedly, and watched as Kumiko's eyes darted back to her own, as if just remembering that she was there with _her_ instead of just her slippers.

"Did you just come to laugh at my clothing choices or was there a reason for your visit?" Reina said, obviously put off by the red-head's reaction.

Kumiko spluttered as her cheeks burned, "No, no! I mean, I didn't come to do that. I just-I wasn't laughing at them, I just…" Kumiko groaned and covered her face with her hands, gathering herself. Then, with a sigh, she looked back up at Reina sheepishly, "Sorry."

Reina simply hummed, a small smirk gracing her lips. Deciding it was time to take matters into her own hands, Reina shifted slightly and crossed her arms, "So, how's your roommate?"

Kumiko deflated at that, causing Reina's eyebrows to raise, "Not good, I assume?"

"You assume right," Kumiko said with a sigh. "She's been avoiding me like crazy and Sapphire - I mean, _Midori_ \- said that she's been weird in class and I didn't even _know_ that because I haven't seen her and I don't even know why she's mad! Well, I guess I kinda do…but not really! And it's not like I can _ask_ her because I haven't _seen_ her! So I've been running around all afternoon trying to find her but I haven't and I just don't know what to do because I _suck_ and-"

The red-head's tirade was cut off abruptly by two hands smacking against her cheeks.

… _ow…_

"First of all," Reina said sternly, her hands remaining on the other girl's face, "you don't suck."

Lowering her gaze from Reina, Kumiko's shoulders sagged slightly, "But-"

"No. Say it."

"Say what?" Kumiko inquired, looking back up at Reina slightly.

"You don't suck"

"But-"

"Say it."

With a sigh, Kumiko raised her head and said, "…You don't suck."

If the look on Reina's face said anything, she was not amused. Taking the hint, Kumiko rolled her eyes, " _Fine_. I don't suck.

"Good," Reina said, removing her hands from Kumiko's cheeks and crossing her arms once more. "Secondly, your friend has been in your room since noon."

Kumiko blinked, "…Really?"

Reina nodded.

After a moment, Kumiko shrieked, _"I gotta go!"_ and ran in the direction of her room, only _almost_ tripping on the way.

Though it was admirable for the red-head to run to her friend's side so quickly, she would be disappointed to find out that, as she ran to see her roommate, a rare sight was left behind on Reina's doorstep: a dark-haired angel, laughing as she leaned against her door-frame; arms crossed and emotion deeply embedded in her gaze.

* * *

"Hazuki?!"

The brunette in question shrieked as her roommate burst in the room, causing her to fall from her place in her desk chair.

"What?!"

The two froze in their spots and stared at each other, wide-eyed. Then, as one would expect, they burst out into laughter. The two roommates laughed until their sides hurt and their eyes watered, Hazuki lying on her side on the floor and Kumiko holding on the desk for support.

After a few moments, they calmed themselves and took their usual spots in the room: Hazuki on her desk chair - turned backwards so she could lean on the back - and Kumiko sitting cross-legged on her bed, a pillow in her arms.

Kumiko started out simple, asking Hazuki where exactly she had been the past few days and why she had been avoiding her. The brunette replied just as simply, saying that she just needed to time to herself, to think. The conversation was laced with awkwardness, of course, neither of the girls wanting to address the elephant in the room that had recently tripled in size due to Hazuki's outburst. Eventually, however, they both realized that it was time to talk about it, no matter how painful it may be.

"So.."

"…so…"

"Uh…"

"…"

Of course, that didn't mean it was _easy._

Sighing slightly, Hazuki looked at her friend, "Look, I know, okay?"

At this, Kumiko's blood ran cold. "You..know?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh…"

Kumiko wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she was sure her heartbeat was loud enough for Hazuki to hear on the other side of the room. She knew? Was that why she had reacted the way she did? If so, did that mean she judged her for the way she was? Did she not want to be friends anymore? Kumiko wasn't sure what she would do if that happened.

She and Hazuki had been friends for years, in fact, Kumiko was sure that she was the best friend she had ever had - would ever have. The two got along better than anyone, they hardly even fought and, on the off chance that they did, they always talked it through immediately and came to some sort of conclusion. They knew each other better than anyone, they always knew if the other needed a shoulder to cry on or if she needed space, they knew exactly what to do or say to make the other laugh, they could even basically read each other's minds at times.

The two hadn't even planned on going to the same university, it had just been a coincidence that they had both been accepted and planned to attend the same school. They had seen the best and worst of each other (even when Kumiko went through her "scene" phase, Hazuki had been there to talk her out of dying her hair bright pink).

Even after all that, could Hazuki really end it all just because Kumiko was in love with a girl instead of a boy? Kumiko found it hard to believe that her friend could be that cold, that wasn't Hazuki.

Hazuki was the girl that joined every club Kumiko did, just so they could be together after school (and because she was indecisive). Hazuki was the girl that cried her eyes out when a boy once told her he didn't like her because she wasn't girly enough. Hazuki was the girl that got back at the same boy by beating him at a race just days later. Hazuki was the girl that always let Kumiko be Player 1 when they played video games at her house, even though Kumiko knew she hated being Player 2 just as much as Kumiko did. Hazuki was the girl that once brought home a wild lizard she found on the sidewalk as they walked home from school, declared it as their adopted child, named it Hazuko, and still had it to this day.

Hazuki was loud, energetic, self-righteous, silly, kind-hearted, and the best friend Kumiko could ever hope for. Kumiko knew Hazuki, and she knew she would never stop being her friend over something so small. She knew it.

"But listen, I just want you to know that…it's okay," Hazuki said, her eyes downcast. Kumiko's eyes, on the other hand, lit up at those words as if they were a gift from above.

"I-It is?"

Sighing slightly, Hazuki nodded. "I mean, I don't like it," Kumiko deflated slightly, "I wish it wasn't true," Kumiko's body sagged even more, "well, to be honest, I hate that it's true."

Kumiko felt every trace of happiness that she had previously felt leave her body in an instant, "Oh.."

Hazuki looked up at her friend and saw her distraught demeanor, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I mean, can you blame me?"

At this, Kumiko wasn't sure what to say, but luckily it didn't seem as if Hazuki was actually expecting a reply.

"Of course I hate it. Knowing that my best friend is in love with the person that I'm in love with…it's the worst feeling in the world," Hazuki brought her hand to her heart, trying to block out the pain she felt there.

At the same moment, however, Kumiko perked up, face contorting into a look of confusion. "Wait, what?"

Hazuki either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her, however, because she continued speaking, hand on her heart and a bitter sadness lacing her voice.

"I just..I hate that this has to be a problem. I wish I could make my feelings go away, but I'm sure you, of all people, know that that's impossible."

"Hazuki, what are you-?"

"I mean, how unfair is it that, out of _everyone_ in the _world_ we'd both be in love with Shuichi?"

At this, Kumiko froze.

 _In love?_

Kumiko's eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

 _With Shuichi?!_

Shooting up from the bed, Kumiko yelled out, "What?!"

Hazuki jumped and watched as her friend began pacing back and forth, frantically gesturing as she ranted on.

"Wait, wait, wait, _wait_! You think that _I_ love _Shuichi_? Are we talking about the same guy here?! He's disgusting!" Pausing, she turned to Hazuki and added, "No offense."

She went back to pacing as she put her hands to her head, "I just can't believe this! All this time I thought that you _hated_ me because of Reina and now I find out that this is all because of _Shuichi?!_ Ohh, when I get my hands on that annoying little-"

"Hold on," Hazuki interrupted, holding up her hand and causing Kumiko to stop in her tracks. "So…you're not in love with Shuichi?"

Kumiko answered by simulating herself throwing up.

Hazuki leaned back with a loud, exasperated sigh, "Thank _goodness!"_

Realizing that there wasn't actually any problem for them to deal with, the two friends quickly went back to normal; though, Hazuki seemed much happier and Kumiko seemed much sicker ("if I think about Shuichi like that I might _actually_ throw up, I swear")

The night went on and the two went about their business; finishing up homework, filling each other in on what they missed that week, watching the next episode of the show they were currently binge-watching.

Around midnight, the two were ready for bed.

Snuggling up to her pillow, Kumiko released a contented sigh. She was more the relieved about the way things had turned out with Hazuki, although the whole Shuichi thing still made her feel ill. Her and Hazuki had no tension between them anymore and Kumiko was more than happy to go back to their usual routine.

Kumiko had almost drifted off to sleep when she heard Hazuki let out a soft, " _psst_." Kumiko hummed in response, hoping Hazuki wasn't gonna go off on one of her late-night rants about lizard-people and how they were taking over the earth, _She really has a thing for lizards, huh._

"Question," Hazuki whispered. Kumiko hummed once again, already falling asleep.

"Why did you think I was upset about Kousaka-chan?"

Kumiko's eyes shot open faster than she knew was possible. Her throat ran dry as she remembered her own words earlier, _"I thought that you hated me because of Reina."_

" _because of Reina."_

" _Reina."_

"Kumiko?"

The red-head didn't know what to do, she didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to breathe. However, she did know one thing: she wasn't falling asleep any time soon.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Okay, so I'm gonna be completely honest...this is my favorite chapter so far (I think). I'm so proud of this one! I love Hazuki and Kumiko's friendship so much so I really got into writing their scene. I also love parallels :3**

 **Sapphire/Midori makes an appearance! I'm not sure if I'll include much of her, since I hadn't really planned her into the story initially (bc I'm too single-minded to write about so many characters in one story, and because I'm really bad at writing her for some reason...) but let me know if you guys want more of her and I'll make it happen!**

 **Again, thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing this story. It has become my baby and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it as much as I am.**

 _ **Special thanks to reviewers:**_ _**not a straight trumpet, Psykoakuma, ustolemynameagain, TaigaMojiii, insomniafics, ShadowClaireXD, RawrrImADinosaurFearMe, SparklyFangirl02, Asuna, GPineapple, CDAndy, MonkeysBusiness**_


	12. Unexpected

**~ Chapter 11 ~**

"Kumiko?"

She heard Hazuki call to her from her bed but all Kumiko could do was stare, wide-eyed and unseeing at the wall. Her whole body felt cold and hot at the same time; as if she was set on fire and then thrown into the ocean in the middle of december, over and over again.

Her mind was completely blank, but simultaneously ran a mile a minute. How could she possibly worm her way out of this one? Hazuki wasn't stupid; a bit slow, perhaps, but definitely not stupid. Especially not when it came to Kumiko. Additionally, Kumiko was a terrible liar.

Her brain was working as fast as possible to come up with some sort of conclusion that would cause this to blow over, to make Hazuki forget all about the red-head's accidental Reina-slip. _"_ _I thought you were jealous because I_ _'_ _ve been spending so much time with her,_ _" "_ _I was sure you were embarrassed about her seeing your breakdown the other night,_ _"_ etc.

A million excuses came to mind, some good, some not so good. And yet, with so many possible ways to cover this up and get past it, so many ways to keep her life the way it always has been, so many ways to lie - she couldn't bring herself to utter a single one.

For no matter how many excuses she thought of, the loudest thought in her mind was, _She deserves to know._

The red-head's silence must have made Hazuki anxious because she had sat up in bed at some point during Kumiko's deliberation and was now trying her best to make out the girl's state in the dark room. "Kumiko?"

 _She deserves to know._

Sighing shakily, Kumiko sat up without looking in Hazuki's direction. She wasn't sure what to say or how to say it, but she knew she had to say something or else the brunette would worry herself into a stupor.

 _She deserves to know._

"You deserve to know."

She hadn't meant for that to come out, but she didn't care. She said it so quietly, barely over a whisper, she wasn't even sure if Hazuki heard her. She did, of course, and she sat silently, waiting for Kumiko to continue.

The ginger ran a hand through her hair, messing it up even more than it already was. She opened her mouth to speak several times, but only a few odd noises made their way out. Groaning due to her own inability to just _spit it out,_ Kumiko fell back on her bed lazily and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm…gay."

There. She had done it. She didn't know what she expected to feel after saying those two small words, but she really hadn't expected to feel so…stupid. Or rather, overdramatic. What was the big deal, really? So she liked girls, how was that a bad thing? How come it had taken her so long to admit such a thing to her best friend? Why did she think she needed to hide it?

Now, after having admitted it, she realized that it was such a small part of herself. She was Oumae Kumiko: college student, lover of eggs and short cake, hater of sports and bugs, avid euphonium player, prospective music education major, and she _just so happened_ to be attracted to girls.

It was one small portion of the elements that made her _her._ Why had she felt it was such a big deal that she had to hide it from someone so close to her?

Although she was sure she was right in coming to this conclusion, she was a bit nervous about the lack of response coming from the other side of the room.

Deciding to take a chance, the red-head opened her eyes and scanned the area where she knew Hazuki was sitting. She let her eyes adjust as she waited for a reaction, _any_ reaction from her friend.

Finally, she got one.

"Wait, _really?_ "

"Yep."

"So," she could hear the gears turning in Hazuki's head, trying to wrap around this newfound information, "the person you like is…"

"Mhmm."

"Is she gay, too?"

Kumiko frowned a bit at that, "I'm not sure, actually."

Hazuki hummed in response. Kumiko could only make out her profile, but she was sure Hazuki had her thinking face on: pursed lips, brows furrowed, nose scrunching up a bit to the left. What exactly she was thinking on, Kumiko wasn't sure.

"So," Kumiko started hesitantly, "you don't, like, hate me now, right?"

At that, Hazuki let out a quick and breathy laugh, "Seriously, Kumiko? You think I'd hate you after all these years because you're a lesbian?"

Kumiko shrugged, even though she knew Hazuki couldn't see. The brunette laughed again, more to herself than at Kumiko.

"Of course I don't hate you," she said with a smile lacing her voice. "I _am_ a little surprised, but I guess I'm not at the same time. I mean, you've never really liked boys, now that I think about it."

Kumiko snorted, "Yeah, I guess that's the gay showing, huh?"

Hazuki laughed, too. "No, I mean you've never _liked_ boys," she continued. "Like, you've always been super mean to them for no reason. I guess that makes sense now, though."

Kumiko thought about that for a moment. She didn't think she was _that_ mean to guys. Sure, there was Shuichi, and her animosity towards Taki-sensei, and she _had_ kicked that guy in the groin that one time when he came up to her at the bus stop (but, really, how was she supposed to know he was just trying to tell her that her backpack was unzipped? He could have been a serial killer! Or a rapist! Or a serial rapist!).

Now that she thought about it, though, she supposed she had always been a bit harder on the guys in her life than the girls. The red-head shrugged to herself, _They deserve it. Guys are lame._

"I guess you're right, but I'm not so sure that's because I like girls. I think I just _really_ don't like guys."

Hazuki laughed again as she lay back down on her pillow, one hand behind her head, "Yeah, I don't blame you."

The two lay in silence for a while, both lying on their backs, eyes to the ceiling. It wasn't an awkward silence, nor was it uncomfortable in any way. However, it wasn't peaceful either. It was a thoughtful silence, a certain quiet in which it felt as if you could hear the thoughts going round and round in the minds of those in the room.

Hazuki was the first to break it, "Kousaka-chan, huh?"

Kumiko hummed affirmatively. Hazuki hummed back.

They were silent again for a while, but it slowly dissolved into a peaceful quiet - the calm _after_ the storm (although, it wasn't much of a storm, really).

Both girls were almost asleep when Hazuki spoke up once again, voice heavy with drowsiness, "One more question."

Kumiko hummed.

"Did you ever have a crush on me?"

If it hadn't been so dark, and if Hazuki hadn't been laughing at herself so hard, she would have seen the lazy glare Kumiko shot her from her bed.

" _Goodnight,_ Hazuki."

"'Night, Kumiko."

* * *

The days following Kumiko's reluctant confession proved to be both a relief and an annoyance to the red-head. A relief, due to the fact that she could now be her full self with her best friend, without anything holding her back; and an annoyance because said _best friend_ was hopeless when is came to being subtle.

Since finding out that Kumiko actually liked Reina, not Shuichi (gross), the girl insisted that she hang out with Kumiko and Reina at some point - "best friend approval is crucial for potential boyfriends _and_ girlfriends."

This wouldn't have been a problem for Kumiko if Hazuki wasn't _ridiculously_ obvious about the whole thing. The red-head had asked Reina if she would mind if Hazuki joined them the next time they studied together, which was what brought them to the library at this moment.

Kumiko knew that Hazuki was excited to officially meet Reina, but she had no idea she would be so _embarrassing!_

It started out when she began to not-so-subtly interrogate the dark-haired woman.

"Soooo, Kousaka-chan," Hazuki had drawled, a mischievous smile on her face as she eyed the girl sitting across from her. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Kumiko was eternally grateful that she hadn't been drinking her water at that moment, because she was sure that she would have done a movie-worthy spit-take.

"Uhh, Hazuki…" Kumiko was about to tell her friend to _shut it_ , but was interrupted by a sound that she was sure she had imagined.

She had looked up to see Reina holding her hand over her mouth, eyes shut, and a smile on her face. _She's laughing!_

Kumiko felt her face burn as she watched the beautiful scene before her, she had never known that a laugh could sound so amazing. As Kumiko continued to gawk at Reina, Hazuki looked on in confusion, "What's funny?"

At this, Reina sobered up and looked at Hazuki with a smile on her face, mirth still swimming in her eyes, "Nothing," she said with a chuckle. "I don't have a boyfriend."

Hazuki hummed, as if considering the girl's words, and leaned back in her chair, narrowing her eyes. "Have you ever had one?"

Reina simply shook her head in the negative, bowing her head to continue studying. Of course, Hazuki wasn't quite finished.

"Do you play any sports, Kousaka-chan?" Hazuki had asked a few minutes later, catching both Reina and Kumiko by surprise. The red-head tried her best to telepathically tell her friend to _please stop talking!_ but it was to no avail, Hazuki was on a mission and no one could stop her once she set her mind on something.

"I was on the track team in middle school," Reina said, doing her best to multi-task as she continued to copy notes in her notebook.

"That's it?"

Reina looked up at Hazuki then. Kumiko wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but it looked like she was beginning to get suspicious. Kumiko silently prayed that a fire drill would suddenly ring out so that she could get out of this situation.

The fates were not in her favor, it seemed.

"I was in band in high school," Reina stated, turning her attention back to her book. "That isn't considered a sport, though."

Hazuki hummed once again, stroking her chin like a detective trying to figure out a clue; which, Kumiko mused, she probably felt like she was doing.

"That's funny," Hazuki said, a mischievous smile gracing her features, "you were in band, weren't you, Kumiko?"

The red-head glared at her friend as hard as she could, but nothing could shake the smile from Hazuki's face.

"Yes, I was," Kumiko said between clenched teeth.

"I didn't know that," Kumiko turned to see Reina looking at her inquisitively. The red-head's cheeks warmed under the girl's scrutiny.

"Yeah, uh, it was only for a few years." If "a few years" meant "all of my life until I started college," that is. Kumiko chuckled nervously.

Reina simply nodded her head and turned back to her studies.

After that, Hazuki continued with her interrogation; asking every question she could think of, from "Do you have any siblings?" to "Have you ever been associated with a gang?"

To Reina's credit, she handled each question with ease - and no, she hadn't ever been in a gang.

Eventually, it was time for the girls to part ways, much to Kumiko's relief. She had every intention of letting Hazuki have it as soon as they broke away from Reina, however, the brunette was not done with her shenanigans just yet.

"Ohh, man! I totally forgot!" Hazuki exclaimed as soon as they walked out of the library. Turning towards Kumiko and Reina, Hazuki smiled not-so-apologetically, "I've got to go meet another classmate for this project we're doing, bye!"

With that, the brunette was gone, leaving the other two staring after her with shock and annoyance (the annoyance, of course, was coming from Kumiko).

"She's very…energetic," Reina said as she and Kumiko walked back to their dorms.

Kumiko chuckled at that, "Yeah, that's one way to put it."

"I'm assuming she's okay now?"

Kumiko blushed against her own will, remembering just _why_ Hazuki had been upset in the first place, "Yep, she's good now."

The two walked in silence for a while after that.

Kumiko sighed inwardly. Reina had acted normally all day, which both pleased and confused the red-head. Just the other day, she was sure that Reina was upset with her in some way, but ever since that day she went to her dorm, everything was just as it was before. Not that Kumiko wasn't happy about that, it was a huge relief to not have to worry about Reina being angry with her for whatever reason. Nonetheless, it didn't make any sense!

If anything, Kumiko was sure Reina would be even more annoyed with her after the whole bunny slipper thing. _No regrets, though,_ Kumiko thought. _Those slippers were adorable._

When she thought about it, however, she shouldn't have been surprised by Reina's mood swings. Ever since they had gotten to know each other, that had been one of the girl's most prominent features; one second she would be normal, the next she would be storming off in anger, then she would be smiling at Kumiko like nothing ever happened.

Kumiko would be lying if she said it didn't drive her insane, but she also found it oddly endearing. _I guess I like the unexpected, huh._

The red-head was pulled from her thoughts by the very being that inhabited them. "Want to grab something to eat?"

Kumiko scolded herself for getting so excited by the offer as she nodded, following Reina to wherever it was they were going.

A little while later, the two sat in the cafeteria with their trays full of mediocre food - except the pizza, the pizza was _ridiculously_ good.

Usually, when Kumiko went out to eat with Reina, the two sat in silence most of the time, not speaking until it was time to leave. So, when the girl suddenly started a conversation, Kumiko was more than a little surprised.

She started out by asking how long she and Hazuki had known each other, then she asked about band, then Kumiko's friends back home, and on and on.

Though she wasn't sure what to think of Reina's sudden curiosity, Kumiko wasn't about to waste this opportunity to get to know her more. So, she asked questions back; she half-expected Reina to refuse to answer, but she answered each question easily.

The two continued to ask each other questions, asking for elaboration on certain subjects, letting others drop. Their food had long since been abandoned, for they were too busy focusing on each other.

Much to Kumiko's delight, Reina laughed again during their conversation, and then again, and again. She had even made Kumiko laugh with her dry humor many times.

Two hours went by without either of them taking notice; it wasn't until the cafeteria was nearly empty that they realized just how long they had been there. They kept talking as they put away their trays and left the cafeteria. They talked as they made their way home, joking and teasing one another.

Sooner than Kumiko would have liked, they were standing in front of Reina's door.

"Well, that was fun," Kumiko said, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

"It was," Reina said, a smile on her face.

Kumiko stared at her as she smiled, she had been doing that all night and Kumiko couldn't get enough of it. She was sure she could stand here for days, just looking at that smile.

Sensing that she had been standing there, _staring,_ for too long, Kumiko cleared her throat, "Uh, well, I guess I'll see you later."

Reina laughed once again, Kumiko's heart clenched in her chest. "See you later."

Kumiko smiled and hesitantly turned away, returning to her room.

Just before she opened the door to her room, Kumiko looked towards Reina's room, expecting to see a closed door. Instead, she saw Reina there, watching her, smile still in place. Caught off guard, Kumiko blushed furiously and waved. With one last laugh, Reina waved back and closed her door.

Kumiko turned back to her door and rested her forehead on it, sighing. If she was in deep before, she knew that she had just plunged five thousand feet further down.

With another audible sigh, Kumiko unlocked her door and stepped inside, ready to fall asleep to the memories of just hours before.

Once again, fate was not on her side.

There, sitting on her bed, was Shuichi, looking like death itself.

"Shuichi? What are you doing in here?" Kumiko only slightly noted the lack of animosity in her tone, _I must still be delirious from my Reina Time._

Shuichi, however, didn't seem to notice the change in her tone. In fact, he didn't really seem to notice her at all. He sat on her bed with a stern look on his face and his hands clasped together in front of him.

"Shuichi?"

He held up a finger, "Just…give me a minute."

Kumiko was starting to get worried, she'd known Shuichi almost her whole life and she had never seen him like this. "Shuichi, what's-?"

She stopped talking as he looked up at her. The look in his eyes made her heart go cold in her chest, she had never seen so much sadness, anger, hopelessness before.

He closed his eyes suddenly, as if he was preparing himself. Then, he stood, eyes still closed.

When he opened them, the same emotions flooded his features, but they were not surrounded by a certain steeliness. Determination.

"I have to tell you something, and I want you to listen."

Unsure if she should respond, or if she even could, Kumiko simply stood there, waiting.

He closed his eyes once more and drew in a breath, he held it for a moment and then let it go quickly, "I'm in love with you."

His eyes were still closed, so he didn't see Kumiko's widen.

"I know you don't feel the same way, and that's okay. And I know you like Reina, that's okay, too. But, I just need you to know that I love you, I have for a long time."

Kumiko stayed silent, she didn't trust her voice at the moment.

Eyes still closed, Shuichi continued, "But this doesn't mean that I'm always going to be in love with you, okay? I'm not. I know I'm not. One day, I'm going to get over you. So, don't think you'll always have this effect on me, okay? Because you won't. Eventually."

His eyes opened slowly and he met Kumiko's own wide eyes. "I don't expect you to say anything. In fact, I don't really want you to. I just needed you to know."

After staring at each other for a moment, Shuichi lowered his gaze and cleared his throat - his confidence had run its course. "Uh, yeah, that's it," he muttered, blushing.

Kumiko continued to stare ahead, wide eyed, even after he moved from his place. She kept staring as he walked past her, as he paused, then left the room. She was still in the same spot when Hazuki came in the room, and when she asked what happened, Kumiko kept staring.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Ooh, lots of plot development in this chapter! Guys, Hazuki is slowly becoming my favorite person to write, she's just so funny and cute! And shameless.**

 **Alright, guys, I hate to say it but...the end is near (not of the world, just this story)! I mean, there's still several more chapters to come but soon things will start to wrap up. But don't worry, you guys will have your fill of Reina and Kumiko fluff before it's over :3**

 **Once again, thank you guys so much for your support with this story. I know I'm slow with updates but I'd rather take a long time to give you guys good material than post something I'm not happy with. Thank you for your patience! 3**

 ** _Special Thanks to Reviewers:_ _Psykoakuma, Asuna, RawrrImADinosaurFearMe, ShadowClaireXD, Nink, The Flying Lion, Val, Ustolemynameagai, Fran Kaioh-Tenoh_**


	13. Tears & Fears

**~ Chapter 12 ~**

After a few moments of Hazuki's prodding, Kumiko finally slipped out of her fog and told her friend what had happened. That Shuichi had confessed to her. Shuichi. _Shuichi._

Hazuki was oddly quiet after hearing the news, and, despite Kumiko's expectations, she didn't look upset or jealous. In fact, the girl looked guilty.

"What is it, Hazuki?"

The brunette sighed and looked up at her friend with sad eyes, "I'm sorry, Kumiko," she said helplessly. "This is all my fault."

"What are you talking about?" the red-head inquired, completely lost as to how any of this could have been because of her friend. "How is it your fault?"

Hazuki looked down at her feet as they shuffled beneath her, "I told him."

Kumiko's brow furrowed as she look at her suddenly meek friend, "What do you mean?"

The brunette sighed and looked up at Kumiko, tears forming in her eyes, "I told him you liked someone else…"

Hazuki brought her hands to her face as she began crying, causing Kumiko's eyes to widen, unsure as to why her friend was so upset. The red-head put her arm around Hazuki's shoulders as the girl cried. Kumiko knew she wasn't always the brightest, but she had enough sense to realize that whatever her friend was crying about most likely had nothing to do with telling Shuichi about Reina.

"What's wrong?" Kumiko inquired softly, not wanting to upset the brunette anymore than she already was.

Hazuki tried to reply but it just came out as another sob. Kumiko sighed and led Hazuki toward her desk chair, hoping she would calm down enough to explain what was going on.

Kumiko waited for a few moments as Hazuki's cries slowed and her breathing evened out. Once she was able to speak again, she looked up at Kumiko with a slight blush on her splotchy face, "Sorry."

Kumiko smiled at her friend fondly, "It's okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

Hazuki hesitated for a moment but then nodded, "Well, obviously, I like Shuichi," she said plainly. Kumiko nodded in understanding, waiting for her to continue.

The brunette took a deep breath before she began speaking again, "Okay, so, I was coming home from class earlier and he was sitting in the hallway outside our room. So, of course, I was like 'uhh what?' so I asked what he was doing. He said he was waiting for you and, well," she took another deep breath. "I guess I got jealous, and I was still a little sensitive because of that whole misunderstanding _we_ had so I just sort of…let it all out."

After a moment of silence, Kumiko couldn't help herself, "…What did you say to him?"

Hazuki sighed, "I told him that he was wasting his time, that you liked someone else and he was just making it worse for everyone by trying to be with you."

The red-head's eyes widened a fraction; even with all the mean things she had said to Shuichi, she had to admit that was a bit harsh.

"I know it was mean and uncalled for, but I just couldn't help it," the brunette's eyes began to water once again. "It just hurt so much, ya know? I mean, I got so excited when I saw him here and he just…"

Hazuki started to cry again, causing Kumiko's heart to clench painfully. _I hate seeing her like this, Shuichi doesn't even deserve her…_

 _"_ I understand," Kumiko said softly as she laid her hand on the other's shoulder. "And don't worry, I'm not angry with you."

Hazuki looked up with misty, wide eyes, "You're not?"

Kumiko smiled warmly, "Of course not."

Hazuki gave a small, relieved smile and hugged her friend with all she had. Kumiko hugged her back just as tightly, knowing that her best friend was suffering even more than she let on. The red-head sighed, _I know what unrequited love feels like, Hazuki. I understand._

The two stayed in that position for a few moments, enjoying the comfort that the other was giving. It was moments like these that made Kumiko so very grateful for Hazuki, she wasn't sure how she would be dealing with the stress in her life if not for her best friend.

The two pulled away after a short while, and as Hazuki wiped the tears from her eyes, a question popped into Kumiko's mind.

"Wait, so how did Shuichi get in our room?"

Hazuki blushed slightly, "Oh, yeah, that was me, too." At Kumiko's confused expression, Hazuki continued, "After I went off on him, he said that he knew already and that was why he wanted to talk to you. So I opened the door for him and then left."

With a sigh, Hazuki stood up, "I guess I just wanted him out of my sight, but I guess that wasn't the smartest thing to do, huh?"

Kumiko shrugged, "It's not like he'd steal anything, so it's fine. I was just surprised to see him in here, that's all."

"I know, I'm sorry. I should have called you or something…"

Kumiko could tell her friend was about to get upset again, so she quickly went over to her and hugged her from the side, "Hey, it's okay. Really."

Hazuki looked at her friend for a moment before nodding slightly. Wanting to help her friend in any way she could, Kumiko offered to go get some food for them both.

As she was about to leave, Hazuki called out to her.

"Yeah?" the red-head said from the doorway.

After some hesitation, Hazuki looked up at her friend, "What are you going to do about Shuichi?"

Kumiko looked down at her feet, "I have no idea."

With that, Kumiko gave a small smile to her friend and left to go find her some comfort food.

* * *

The next day, Kumiko found herself living the life of a spy on the run; or at least, that's how it felt in her mind. She walked the long way to class, through the wood-y trails that went around campus, she wore her darkest pair of sunglasses and her baseball cap that she never wore (even though the sun was lounging behind the clouds that day).

She knew she was being dumb, she shouldn't be making such a big deal out of things. So, Shuichi liked her. _No,_ Kumiko thought as bile began to rise in her throat, _he_ loves _me…_

Sighing, the red-head took off her sunglasses. Okay, so, maybe it was sort of a big deal. She had known Shuichi for basically her whole life, did that mean he had loved her that whole time? No, that couldn't be possible…could it?

She had no idea at this point. As far as she had known up until this point, he didn't even _like_ her! _Well, I guess that's me that didn't like_ him…

Still, this was all too much at once. She had just gotten back on good terms with Hazuki, and she still wasn't sure where she stood with Reina; she didn't have time to worry about Shuichi, too!

Kumiko supposed she was being selfish, though. It must have taken a lot of courage to tell her how he felt, who knows how long he had been holding back his feelings. Even so, the red-head still felt the same way toward him as she always had. It wasn't like her to suddenly have compassion for the boy who held her contempt for so long. _I'm getting soft,_ Kumiko thought with a groan.

She had almost made it to her first class of the day when she spotted the very boy that she had been stressing over all morning; he was sitting on a bench with…

 _Reina?!_

The red-head skidded to a stop and stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of her: Shuichi, sitting on a bench. Reina, sitting next to him. Both had their heads down, so Kumiko wasn't sure if they were talking or not. _Maybe they just happen to be sitting on the same bench…?_

Just then, Shuichi's head snapped up toward Reina as he listened to whatever it was she was saying; from her spot several feet away, Kumiko didn't notice his fists clenched in his lap, nor Reina's rigid form. However, she did see Shuichi stand up suddenly, she saw his mouth form words that she couldn't hear, and she saw him pick up his bag and leave Reina alone on the bench.

Before she had even thought to do so, Kumiko's feet were moving toward the woman sitting on the bench.

"Reina?"

The girl in question lifted her head suddenly, "Kumiko? What are you doing here?"

The red-head flushed, unsure as to whether she should tell Reina what she had seen or not, "Oh, uh, I was just going to class and I saw you sitting here, so…"

Reina nodded slightly, then lowered her head once again. Now that she was seeing her up close, Kumiko knew something was wrong. _I swear, if Shuichi said something to make her upset I am going to-_

"…kill that little jerk…"

"What?"

Kumiko's eyes widened, _I said that out loud…_

"Oh, uh, I was just, um…" she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly for a moment. However, once she looked back down at the girl sitting in front of her, her awkwardness faded and was replaced with concern. "Are you okay?"

Reina didn't respond, she simply sighed. Kumiko's brows furrowed and she took the seat that Shuichi had just recently occupied.

"You're going to be late to class," Reina muttered.

"It's fine," Kumiko replied.

They sat in silence, per usual, for several moments. Kumiko wasn't sure what to say, she had never seen Reina like this before, like a deflated balloon being held up by a wood board. She didn't look up from her joined hands, it was as if Kumiko wasn't even there. Just as she was about to say something, Reina broke the silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Did you see me talking to Shuichi?"

Kumiko stilled slightly before sighing, nothing could get past Reina. "Yes."

The dark-haired woman nodded, "Do you want to know what we talked about?"

"I'm not sure."

Reina looked up then, a small, bitter smirk gracing her features, "Isn't that why you came over here?"

That shocked Kumiko, "I came over because you looked upset."

Reina's face went back to the blank slate that it usually was as she looked back down at her lap, "Right."

Kumiko's anxiety grew with every second she looked at Reina's sullen state, "Did…Did something happen, Reina?"

A small sigh escaped her lips, she looked up at the red-head once again, "He told me he likes you."

Kumiko could feel the blush burning on her face, she looked ahead, unable to meet the other girl's eyes. "Heh, yeah, I just found out the same thing."

Though she was embarrassed that Shuichi would go so far as to tell Reina about his feelings for _her,_ the worry that was on the forefront of her mind was whether or not he told her about her own feelings.

"He also told me you didn't feel the same."

Kumiko peeked out at Reina from behind her curls, "Is that…all he said?"

Reina's eyes bore into hers, "No."

The red-head swallowed hard, "What else did he say?"

Reina didn't answer for a moment, she simply stared at her. It was as if, in that one look, she was trying to find all the answers to every question in the universe - Kumiko had to remind herself to breathe.

"He said," she turned away from Kumiko, looking out across campus with that blank look, "that you were in love with someone else already."

She wasn't sure if she should be surprised or not - she wasn't, really - but she couldn't help the jolt of panic that went through her body in that moment. "Oh."

 _This is it,_ she thought as she took a deep breath, _it's now or never._

"Did he say, uh…"

"He didn't tell me who it is, don't worry."

Kumiko had to hold back a sigh of relief, and yet, she couldn't ignore the small pang of regret in her heart. She wasn't sure what it was that held her back from telling Reina the truth, especially since the whole Taki-sensei situation was cleared up. She could tell her, should tell her.

She should tell her that not a second goes by when Reina isn't on her mind. That even when she annoyed her, she couldn't get enough of it. That seeing her smile was like watching the most beautiful sunrise the world had ever known. That she was so in love with her, she didn't even know what to do with herself.

She wanted to tell her that she didn't even know when it happened, when she became so enamored by Kousaka Reina. She wanted to tell her that, even though she had no clue when she fell for her, she didn't care, because loving Reina felt as natural as breathing. She didn't need to think about when or why or how, all that mattered was that she did - and even if she never told her, if she always remained in the dark, it would always be.

Kumiko was interrupted from her thoughts when Reina stood up, gathering her things. Kumiko shot up from her seat, "Where are you going?"

"Home," she said, as she began walking away. Kumiko scurried after her, concerned and confused by her sudden coldness.

"B-But it's, like, noon."

Reina simply hummed in response and kept walking. The red-head wasn't sure why, but she knew that Reina was upset with her.

"Can you at least tell me why you're mad at me?"

Reina stopped suddenly and turned toward Kumiko harshly, causing the red-head to jump back slightly. Reina was barely containing her anger as she looked at the other girl; she opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and looked away.

After calming down slightly, she looked back to Kumiko, blank look fixed on her features, "You should go to class, Kumiko."

With that, the dark-haired woman walked away from the stunned red-head.

Kumiko wanted to run after her, but she had no idea what she would say. Instead, she turned toward the direction of her class, which had already started several minutes before. Seeing as she was going to be late anyway, Kumiko took her time getting there, her mind a million miles away.

She didn't understand where Reina's anger was coming from; she was acting as if Kumiko had somehow betrayed her or something. Which didn't make any sense to the red-head, seeing as she was pretty sure she didn't do a thing. Still, Reina's expression when she asked why she was angry was burned into Kumiko's mind. A look full of anger, annoyance, and, above all else, hurt.

Kumiko grasped at her chest, right over where her heart was pulsating painfully, like a knife had been lodged there. She had become so used to the feelings, it was as if the knife had become a part of her heart. Now, however, it felt as if it had doubled in size.

She didn't know what she did, or even if she was the reason Reina was so upset; but she had a feeling in her gut, that she was missing something. She didn't know what that something was, but she had a feeling it was big. With a feeling of anxious, terrifying anticipation, Kumiko walked into class, ignoring the stink eye her professor gave her as she sat down mid-lecture.

 _Save it,_ Kumiko thought bitterly as she got out her textbook, _I've got better things to worry about than Geology._

Although, in that moment, the red-head figured she could use a distraction. Even if that distraction was learning about rocks.

 _I'll take rocks over love any day._

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Okay, yeah, so you guys are probably suuuper annoyed with me. What can I say? I'm a pro procrastinator. B)**

 **Anyway, this chapter is more of a set up for the next one, which I am extremelyyyyyyyy excited for. No spoilers, but it will be in someone else's POV... :3**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so much to those of you who are still around. I know I take forever, but I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. The end is nye, my friends. Get ready to squeal your hearts out~**

 ** _Special Thanks to Reviewers: xLaShay, RawrrImADinosaurFearMe, Tigermoji, Psykoakuma, CaptainDamnitt, ixamxnoxone, Asuna, GPineapple, Szaphyr, Val, Kazue17, FelipAA, The Flying Lion,_ _abnkkbsnplako, little fox, shootingstar237, Jackaboy755, Arcana the Wolf_**


	14. Breakthrough

**~ Chapter 13 ~**

 _Themes (so far…):_

 _Reina ~ Girl - The Internet_

 _Kumiko ~ Tete-A-Tete - Walk the Moon_

 _Shuichi ~ Soap - Melanie Martinez_

Kousaka Reina was not an emotional person. In fact, she was well-known for being a cold-hearted robot among those who knew her. She embraced this label whole-heartedly, allowing herself to look as stoic as she saw fit depending on the situation. Of course, this wasn't very difficult, seeing as her resting face was as unemotional as people assumed her heart was.

However, though Reina was not necessarily as emotional as the average person, that did not mean she didn't feel things. Of course the felt things, she felt many emotions, they simply didn't show on the surface.

Even so, there are times when even the coldest person is overcome with emotion. This was one of those moments for Reina.

She took deep breaths as she made her way to her dorm, away from Kumiko, away from the conversation she had just had with Shuichi.

She didn't know what made her more upset, the information Shuichi gave her, or the way Kumiko reacted to it.

 _"I don't know you and you don't know me, but I felt like I needed to tell you."_

 _"Tell me what?"_

 _"I love Kumiko."_

 _"…"_

 _"But, I know she doesn't love me."_

 _"…"_

 _"Besides, looks like she's already in love with someone else."_

 _"Who?"_

 _"How about you ask her that?"_

Just remembering the conversation made Reina's blood boil. She wasn't one to hate people, she was usually fairly apathetic toward most; Shuichi, however, he had so quickly dug himself underneath Reina's skin. She couldn't help but hate him.

After all, wouldn't anyone hate a person who admits to having feelings for their girlfriend?

 _Well, almost girlfriend, I suppose,_ Reina corrected herself. _I'd have to just outright ask for that, wouldn't I?_

Reina sighed. She was so very new to this whole dating thing, she was never sure if she was doing things quite right. She had barely dated in high school, seeing as most of that time of her life was spent pining after Taki. Cringing inwardly, Reina pushed those thoughts aside. It wasn't that she regretted falling for the man, it was just too embarrassing to bare at times, so she tried her best not to think about it.

Nevertheless, the dark-haired woman was definitely lacking experience in the love department; so when a certain red haired whirlwind came into her life, she wasn't sure how to handle it.

At first, it was simply amusing.

 _"I like your underwear!"_

Reina chuckled slightly at the memory. That night, when the fire drill went off, Reina had been fast asleep in her room; if it hadn't been for her roommate, she probably wouldn't have even made it out of bed. However, her roommate was a bit of a basket case at times - the drill freaked her out so much that she didn't even let Reina get dressed before shoving her out the door. This, of course, caused her to have to walk outside, in front of God and everyone, in only a t-shirt and underwear.

Though no one would have noticed by looking at her, she was absolutely mortified. She hadn't even been wearing decent underwear at the time, it just _had_ to be the pair with tiny penguins all over them.

By the time they were able to go back inside, Reina was in an unbelievably foul mood. So, when she noticed a random girl standing outside her door, she was ready to let her have it. Of course, that didn't happen, however. Instead, she was both shocked and amused by what the girl had to say.

Reina had to admit that she had never really noticed Kumiko before then; when she thought back, she could remember seeing the girl in a few of her classes, but she never really left an impression. That changed drastically after that one encounter.

After that night, Reina made a point to find out more about the girl who liked her underwear.

Easier said than done.

Since she wasn't exactly a social butterfly, it was quite difficult for Reina to get closer to the Kumiko - but she refused to give up due to her own inabilities. She wasn't sure why she was so drawn to the awkward red-head at the time; but now, she realized that it was probably the way she blushed whenever their eyes met. Or the way she would scratch the back of her head whenever she was uncomfortable. Or the way she said whatever came to mind with no thought as to how it would sound.

She could list all of the things that intrigued her about Oumae Kumiko, but none of them could quite explain her feelings toward the girl.

It didn't take long for Reina to realize that the way she felt toward Kumiko wasn't exactly platonic, in fact, she could remember the very moment her feelings became apparent. They were in Taki-sensei's class, working on their project, when Reina felt eyes on her. She had looked up to find Kumiko staring at her - not just any staring, however; the look in Kumiko's eyes was that of pure admiration and lust.

Seeing such a look directed at her from Kumiko stirred something within Reina that she hadn't known was there, something so deep, so intense, that she was sure it would swallow her whole in that instant. Instead, it was replaced with timidness once Kumiko's eyes lifted to hers. However, Kumiko's blush caused a jolt of pure excitement to fly through Reina's body, causing her to smile at the girl against her own will.

It was then that Reina realized two things: she was very, very attracted to Oumae Kumiko, and Oumae Kumiko was very, _very_ attracted to her, as well.

This realization both excited and terrified the dark-haired girl. She had only had strong feelings for one other person, who was male, so she had assumed she was straight. Sure, she had noticed other women that were attractive, but she never had the urge to actually pursue any of them; but she also hadn't thought to pursue many men either, so she supposed it wasn't that hard to believe that she was attracted to both.

It didn't take long for Reina to become acclimated to such a realization - in fact, it took her about 30 minutes. By the end of class, she had made a decision: she would go on a date with Kumiko; and since she had no patience, she also decided that this date would happen as soon as possible. As in, immediately after class.

She wasn't sure how to go about asking her out, though, so she simply invited her to lunch. Reina figured the red-head would get her drift, since they were both so obviously attracted to each other, so when Kumiko went along with her invitation, Reina figured the red-head would understand what such an offer meant.

And so, they started dating. Reina made a point to hang out with Kumiko whenever they could, and since they were partners for the project, that was a perfect way to see her often.

For a time, Reina was on Cloud Nine. She and Kumiko grew closer and closer each time they spent time together; even when they didn't speak, Reina was sure their connection got stronger the more they were together. Hell, she even told the girl about her past feelings for Taki - which was much harder to do than she thought it would be. She only managed to get out the basics before her nerves got the best of her, but she was proud of herself for being honest with Kumiko, nevertheless.

Then, she fell from her cloud. Or rather, she was pushed off of it - by Shuichi.

She remembered that night ever so clearly. She had heard loud voices coming from the hallway, so she opened her door to investigate. She had not been expecting to see a drunk Kumiko when she opened the door; and she most definitely hadn't been expecting to see said drunk Kumiko hanging off the arm of some boy.

Now, Reina was not known for her jealousy - possibly because she had never exactly had anything to be jealous _of._ Nevertheless, such a feeling was foreign to the dark-haired girl; so when a dark, twisted sensation panged in her stomach at the sight of the girl she liked in the arms of another, she wasn't sure how to deal with it. So, she simply stared. Then, she ran.

She spent the majority of that night pacing back and forth in her room, wondering what the _hell_ was going on between those two. Her roommate convinced her to take a few deep breaths and calm down so she could get to sleep; of course, Reina was aware that the concern was more for her roommates own sleep and not her own. Despite that, she did her best to quell her negative feelings.

Easier said than done.

She ended up being somewhat cold toward Kumiko the next time they saw one another - she just couldn't help it. The thought of Kumiko being with someone else made Reina's heart clench painfully in her chest, she couldn't bare it.

However, she didn't remain angry with the girl for long, it just wasn't possible. Eventually, they went back to normal. Better than normal, actually, for not long after that, Reina's feelings escalated.

Reina couldn't help but sigh as she remembered the night she fell in love with the red-head. They were sitting in the cafeteria, having the longest conversation they had ever had, when it happened. She wasn't even sure what they were talking about, it didn't matter, all that mattered were Kumiko's eyes. They drew Reina in while she wasn't paying attention; the way they sparkled when she spoke of something she loved, how expressive they were when she told a story, the way they seemed to look at Reina as if she were a God among men.

Kumiko had asked if she was listening at that point, and though Reina said she was, that was a lie; for how could she possibly be listening when she was so busy falling?

After that, Reina had tried to make things official several times, but never quite got there. She had never known her nerves could dictate her actions so much, she supposed that was the power of love, as they say - or perhaps it was the power of Kumiko, Reina wasn't quite sure.

Then, with her problems with Hazuki, Reina didn't want to impose on the red-head, so she decided to wait until things blew over.

Looking back, Reina supposed she should have asked her the night of the bunny slippers incident; but she had been so absorbed in Kumiko, she hadn't even thought about it until after she left.

As she entered her room, Reina sighed once again.

Everything had been going so well up until then, until Shuichi had to ruin everything all over again.

She wasn't sure why he had felt the urge to come to Reina with his feelings, honestly, she'd rather he kept as far away from her as possible (which she told him upon his departure earlier that day). Yet, she was also relieved he had told her everything he knew. At least now she knew that Kumiko wasn't the person she thought she was.

It had occurred to the dark-haired girl that maybe _she_ was the person to whom Shuichi was referring when he said Kumiko loved someone else; but if that was the case, why would he tell _her?_

She and Kumiko were practically together at that point, so it wouldn't make sense for him to tell her that Kumiko loved _her_ , seeing as that would be obvious. So, that meant it must be someone else. Which meant Kumiko had betrayed her. Which meant Reina was absolutely heartbroken.

Of course, Reina wasn't so immature as to jump to conclusions without talking directly to Kumiko about the incident, but at the moment, she wasn't sure she could handle it.

So, she left Kumiko standing there by the bench, and she wouldn't talk to her again until she felt ready. _Though I'm not too sure when that will be…_

Sighing for what felt like the millionth time in five minutes, Reina kicked off her pants and made her way into bed. She looked at the clock, saw that it was only 12:24, and decided that she didn't mind missing class for once.

Curling up with her pillow in her arms and red hair on her mind, Reina did her best to relax and forget the day's events.

Easier said than done.

* * *

Kumiko was just so _frustrated._ Just when she thought she was beginning to understand the enigma that was Kousaka Reina, she proved to be even more out of reach than before.

This time, however, she had someone on which she could place the blame.

"Hey!" she called out to the boy in question. "Shuichi!"

Shuichi looked up from his book with wide eyes as Kumiko bound over to his place on the ground, where he had been previously enjoying his quiet study time. "K-Kumiko?"

Before he could think to even stand up, the red-head was slinging her backpack at his face. With a shout, Shuichi covered his head as Kumiko continued to berate him, "What! Did! You! Say! To! Her?!" Each swing was harder than the first, until she finally relented, throwing her bag at his chest.

Taking advantage of her mercy, the boy scrambled to his feet and moved away from the red-head hastily, "What the hell?!"

Kumiko took a step toward him with a huff, he took a step back, "What did I do?!"

The red-head's cheeks puffed out in anger, "What did you _do?!_ What _didn't_ you do, Shuichi?!"

At this, Shuichi's own anger began to rise to the surface, "Well, everything I do makes you mad so does it even matter?"

"Yes, it does matter," Kumiko spat. "When it hurts my best friend, it matters. When it ruins my _life_ , it _matters!_ "

Shuichi's brows furrowed in frustration, "I don't know what you're talking about, Kumiko."

She scoffed as the crossed her arms over her chest, "Of course you don't."

The two stayed silent for a moment, both too angry to speak to the other. It was Kumiko who eventually broke the tense silence.

"I didn't know," she said with soft frustration.

"Didn't know what?" he asked, though he was sure he knew the answer.

She glared at him, "You know."

Shuichi lowered his eyes, glaring at the ground as she glared at him, "I know."

Softening her gaze, Kumiko turned away from him, "If I had known, I wouldn't have…" she hesitated, unsure what of what to say. "I wouldn't have known what to do then, either, I guess."

Shuichi chuckled, though it didn't hold much mirth, "Yeah, me either."

They were silent once again.

"What did you tell Reina?"

A smirk found its way onto Shuichi's lips, "How did I know that was the real reason you were here?"

Kumiko shot him another glare, but he simply turned away. "I didn't tell her you like her, so you can't hate me for that."

"I don't hate you."

Shuichi didn't have anything to say to that.

More silence. Kumiko's anger had faded for the most part and was replaced with the weight of her nerves, so she decided it was time to leave Shuichi be (read: get the hell out of this awkward situation).

"Well," she muttered. "Okay, then."

With that she turned to leave; as she walked, she expected a snide remark from the boy, as per usual. She waited a few seconds and when she didn't hear his voice, she turned back to where she had left him. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her, a boy that looked as if the weight of the world had crashed onto his shoulders. Kumiko had never seen Shuichi look so miserable - and all because of her.

 _Even if it is Shuichi,_ she thought as she watched him stare at his feet, _I still hate that I've made him feel this way…_

The red-head tore her eyes away from the boy she had grown up with, knowing that even if she had the courage to try to console him, it would only make him feel worse. She took a deep breath, then continued her departure.

* * *

Reina was interrupted form her much-needed nap when her roommate, Kaori, entered the room singing along to whatever it was she was listening to on her phone. Upon noticing Reina's state, however, she hastily covered her mouth and muttered a quick, "sorry."

The dark-haired girl simply hummed in response as she got up from her oh-so-comfortable bed. With a yawn, she made her way to the bathroom, only barely registering the clock which read 3:47. _Guess I won't be going to any classes today,_ she thought with no remorse.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Reina furrowed her brows as she noticed that her eyes were a bit bloodshot and puffy. This didn't make much sense to the girl, since she never had a history of allergies or anything of the sort. Puzzled, she decided to wash her face, hoping it would help.

Once she was finished, she went back into her room with the intention of going straight back to sleep. _After a snack, of course._

Passing Kaori, she made her way to their mini-fridge in order to look for something to satisfy her rumbling stomach. "You okay?"

Reina looked up to see Kaori looking at her with slight concern, "I'm fine. Why?"

With a slight blush, for she and Reina never really talked about anything personal, Kaori spun her chair toward her, "Well, you sort of look like you've been crying or something."

Reina opened her mouth to deny such an accusation, but hesitated, bringing her hand up to her puffy face. Furrowing her brows, Reina turned back to the fridge, "I'm fine."

Knowing better than to press such matters with her roommate, Kaori pursed her lips and turned back to her computer.

Reina stared into the fridge with frustrated confusion plastered on her features. Had she been crying in her sleep? That was the only logical solution; she was pretty sure she would remember crying if she were awake, after all. Sighing, Reina closed the door to the small refrigerator - she had lost her appetite. Not only that, but she could also feel a headache coming on. Frowning to herself, she decided it was time to go back to sleep.

She had just gotten back into a comfortable position when someone knocked on the door. Luckily, Kaori realized that she was not about to move, so she answered it herself.

Reina had covered her head with her blanket, so she couldn't see the person on the other side of the door, but she could still hear perfectly fine. "Uh, is Rei-uh, Kousaka-san here?"

The dark-haired girl's heart jumped into her throat. She knew that voice, knew it better than her favorite song. Before Kaori could answer, Reina got out of bed and went to the door. Turning to her roommate, she did her best to give her a reassuring smile - though she was sure it came out as more of a grimace than anything. Nonetheless, Kaori took the hint and returned to her dest, putting her headphones back on.

Reina closed the door, leaving her and Kumiko standing across from one another in silence. She could tell the red-head had come with something to say, so she remained quiet until she was ready to speak. _But knowing Kumiko,_ she thought, _that'll take the whole day._

"Um," Kumiko attempted, clearing her throat. "Okay, so, I'm not sure what's going on."

Assuming she had more to say, Reina simply watched as Kumiko struggled to find the right words. As she waited, she reprimanded herself for being so charmed by the display; she was supposed to be angry with this girl, and yet all she could do was think about how cute she looked when she was nervous. _I'm so hopeless._

"I went to see Shuichi," at the mention of his name, Reina tensed slightly. "I asked him what he said to you, and he told me pretty much the same thing you did."

"You thought I was lying?"

The red-head's eyes looked like they were about to pop right out of her head, "No! No, no, of course not."

Reina watched as she scratched the back of her head nervously and, in her head, she told her to stop - she shouldn't be allowed to do such things when Reina was trying so very hard to be angry with her.

"I just," Kumiko began once again, looking down at her shuffling feet, "I just wanted to know what made you so upset with me."

"And did you figure that out?"

The look on her face was answer enough.

"Look," she said, a serious look overcoming her features. "At this point, I'm sure you know that I'm not the most…observant." Reina almost laughed at such an obvious remark. Almost.

"So, I don't always pick up on certain things, and I guess this is one of those times. I mean, I've gone over everything I said to you and you said to me, and I just…" Kumiko trailed off, looking up at Reina with searching eyes. "Can you please tell me what I did?"

Reina would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted to just drop everything then and there, forgive the awkward girl, and pretend like nothing ever happened. She wanted to do that so badly. She almost did. However, right before she was about to open her mouth and let reassuring words soothe the tension, she remembered the pain in her heart. The pain that had been dulled since she laid eyes on the red-head, but the pain that was still there, nonetheless.

Looking down, Reina closed her eyes, trying to figure out what to do.

As she had demonstrated so well throughout the current events, Reina was not very good at handling her feelings. She just didn't know what to do. She knew that she wanted to be with Kumiko, she knew that Kumiko wanted to be with her - or at least, she had wanted to be with her. She knew that she enjoyed spending time with her, and that she wanted to continue spending time with her, for however long was possible.

However, she also knew that Kumiko had a power over her that not even Taki had, not ever. This one person was able to dictate her feelings so easily, so thoroughly - it was terrifying.

It was exhilarating.

It was tiring.

It was electrifying.

It was _everything._

 _She_ was everything.

Opening her eyes, Reina made a decision: she didn't know what would happen to Kumiko and herself, but she wanted to be around her, no matter what. Even if it caused her pain, she knew that being away from this girl would be even more painful.

"I won't tell you, because if I do, we won't get anywhere."

At that, Kumiko visibly deflated. "But," Reina continued, causing Kumiko's eyes to snap up to her own. "I won't be angry with you anymore."

"You…won't?"

Reina shook her head. "That doesn't mean I forgive you, but I'd rather move past this for now and go back to normal."

She could tell Kumiko didn't understand, but the red-head nodded anyway. "Okay."

Unsure of where to go from there, the two stood in silence for a few moments. Surprisingly, it was Kumiko who broke the silence, once again.

"Um, do you want to go out to eat or something?"

Reina made another decision in that moment, a decision she usually avoided due to her own inability - she decided to make a joke to lighten the mood.

"Oh?" a smirk slid onto the dark-haired woman's features, "are you asking me on a date, Kumiko?"

She wasn't sure what sort of reaction she was expecting, but this wasn't quite it. Kumiko's face turned the deepest shade of red Reina had ever seen, her eyes grew as wide as saucers, and she looked as if she could keel over at any moment.

"W-What? N-Um! No! I-Uh, I was just-!"

In order to keep her from actually passing out, Reina put a hand on her shoulder and gave her best smile, "Kidding."

An emotion that Reina couldn't place flashed across the red-head's face as she softly muttered, "Oh."

After another awkward moment of silence, Reina went back in her room to grab her purse. When she went back out into the hallway, Kumiko looked distressed; though she plastered an overzealous smile onto her face when Reina questioned her.

"Ready?" the red-head asked. Reina nodded, and the two made there way down the hallway.

Reina was going to let the silence remain for the duration of their walk, but Kumiko's reaction bothered her. Why would she react in such a way to Reina's teasing? It's not like it was the first time she had joked around with her. Unable to keep it to herself any longer, Reina spoke up.

"You know, you didn't have to get so worked up before."

Kumiko looked up at her with a blush, "I-I know, you just…surprised me."

Reina hummed in understanding, though she didn't quite understand. "Well, for future reference, you don't have to be surprised," she stated.

"After all, it's not like we've never been on a date before."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **B))))))**

 **So, are you guys dead now? I know I am. Shoutout to the people that guessed this was coming! I'm not gonna lie, I let out a pretty evil laugh when I read the reviews of you guys guessing what would happen :3** **Also - wow, I really have absolutely no type of schedule for posting new chapters, do I? Oop :p**

 **Alright, friends, only one more chapter to go (which will be out in the next few days)! Things are heating uppppp :3**

 _ **Special Thanks to Reviewers: RawrrImADinosaurFearMe, Psykoakuma, Lycobra, MakaS0ul, ShadowClaireXD, Asuna, ApplesauceAuthor, PlushiexLover, ustolemynameagain, gotem69 (*eyes*)**_


	15. Penguin Underwear

**~ Chapter 14 ~**

"After all, it's not like we've never been on a date before."

Kumiko stopped mid-step, heart in her throat and eyes as wide as saucers. She couldn't quite process the words Reina had just spoken, had she heard her correctly? Kumiko was fairly sure she would remember going on a date with the woman of her dreams, so what exactly was going on?

Reina continued walking, unaware of Kumiko's inner panic. After a moment, she noticed the girl's absence and turned around, her eyes widening as well in response to Kumiko's state, "Kumiko?"

She heard Reina call her name, but she wasn't sure how to respond - or if she even could. The room was spinning around her, she couldn't make herself breathe properly. What the _hell_ was happening?

Reina approached Kumiko with concern, "Kumiko, are you alright?"

All at once, the red-head snapped out of her stupor with a start, blushing profusely, "No! Y-Yes! I-uh, I don't…know."

Reina's brows furrowed, obviously confused as to why she was so flustered. However, she assumed Kumiko would tell her if it was something important, so she simply turned and continued walking.

"Um-!"

She turned back at Kumiko's sudden outburst, "Yes?"

Kumiko took a breath, "Uh, w-what did you mean?"

Reina raised an eyebrow in question, causing Kumiko to scratch the back of her head, uncomfortable with asking such a question. _I should just drop it,_ she thought pitifully. However, she had a strange feeling that she shouldn't simply let this go, so she did her best to find the right words.

"Um, well…when you said that, uh, that we've…"

"Been on dates before?"

Kumiko nodded dumbly, the blush on her face now seeming as if it was a permanent feature.

"Y-Yeah, I was just wondering what you meant when you said…that."

The dark-haired woman's brows furrowed slightly, "I meant what I said."

"But," Kumiko urged, "you said that we…"

Reina took a step closer to Kumiko, leaving barely an arm's length between them. "I said that we've been on dates before," she said plainly.

"But…"

She took another step toward the blushing red-head, "But what?"

Kumiko swallowed hard, Reina was so _close._ She could faintly feel her breath brush against her cheeks as she spoke.

"But…we haven't."

At this, Reina took a small step back, confusion etched onto her features. "What?"

Kumiko wasn't sure why, but she felt like she was doing everything wrong in that moment. _What else is new…_

"Well, I just mean, we…we've never been on a…date before," she said timidly, "…right?"

Reina didn't speak for a moment as she looked at Kumiko with wide eyes. Then, her features morphed into that of understanding, mixed with a bit of…embarrassment?

"Oh," she breathed, a faint blush forming on her cheeks.

"Oh?" Kumiko inquired, feeling as if she was missing something.

Reina didn't elaborate, however. Instead, she did the last thing either of them expected - she burst out in laughter. Not laughter like Kumiko had heard before, an amused chuckle or a sarcastic chortle. No, this was an all out, teary-eyed, stomach-clenching bout of _real_ laughter.

If she hadn't been so terribly confused, Kumiko would have been tempted to join her. "Um.." she let out her own awkward chuckle, "I don't get what's funny."

Sobering up a bit, Reina held up a finger, indicating for Kumiko to wait a moment - so she did. After a few moments, Reina's laughter had died down enough so that she could speak. "Sorry," she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, "I just can't believe I'm so stupid."

Kumiko's brows shot up to her hairline, "What? You're not-"

Before she could even react, Reina was in front of her; and before her brain could process it, Reina's face was a mere inches from her own. It took a moment for her to register the girl's closed eyes, and the pressure on her lips.

The kiss lasted a mere two seconds, but it was a lifetime for the girls standing in the hallway.

Reina pulled away and looked at Kumiko with a smile, "I am."

The red-head didn't respond, for she couldn't - all the air had been sucked out of her lungs.

"I am stupid," Reina continued with a laugh. "All this time, I thought you knew."

For once, Kumiko didn't need Reina to elaborate. She finally understood. It was as if that one, small kiss had cleared up all the fog in her mind and she could finally see clearly.

The meaningful looks, the outings, the teasing, the jealousy - it was all because Reina liked her. Reina liked _her._

 _Not only that,_ she realized with wide eyes, _all this time she's been taking me on_ dates!

Kumiko almost laughed out loud herself, seeing as she was just as stupid as her counterpart, apparently. For so long, she had been pining for someone who she already had.

"I can't believe it," she breathed, in a daze from such a realization.

The two looked at each other for a long moment, neither quite sure of what to say or do next. In one moment, so many things had changed, and yet everything was the same. All of her previous worries had been wiped away and replaced with astonished elation. In that moment, the knife that had been stuck in her heart faded away; putting a hand to her chest, she relished the feeling of her heart beating so easily once again.

The sound of someone clearing their throat softly brought the girls attention to the end of the hallway. They both had to stifle a groan, "What are you doing here, Shuichi?"

He didn't make eye contact with either of them as he approached, blush on his face and a bag in his hand, "You left your bag earlier."

Kumiko's features softened slightly, realizing how difficult this probably was for him. She intended to take her bag and thank him so that he could leave as quickly as possible, for both his sake and her own, but before she could, Reina spoke up.

"I'll go ahead," she said, turning back to Kumiko with a reassuring smile - just for her. "Come outside when you're done."

Kumiko didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed; after all, going out to eat with the girl she just found out liked her back sounded much better than a morbid conversation with the boy who had unrequited feelings. "Okay."

Then, causing a surprise for both Kumiko and Shuichi, Reina placed a gentle kiss on the red-head's cheek before departing. _Oh, yeah, I can definitely get used to_ that.

Her giddiness was short-lived, however, for she was drowning in tension once she and Shuichi were alone.

"So," he started, shuffling his feet, still not making eye contact, "you guys are a thing now, huh?"

Blushing despite her efforts, Kumiko nodded. "It's pretty fresh, though." _As in, it just happened, like, five minutes ago._

The boy simply nodded in understanding. Not wanting to succumb to such awkwardness any longer than necessary, he cleared his throat and held out her bag. She barely got a " _thanks"_ out before Shuichi turned on his heel and headed for the stairs.

"Wait!" Kumiko shouted after him, surprising herself as well as Shuichi. He turned and locked eyes with her for the first time since his arrival.

Swallowing her pride, Kumiko stepped closer to him, "I really am sorry, Shuichi - for everything."

He didn't bother to hide his astonishment, Kumiko hardly ever apologized for her actions, and she definitely didn't do it for Shuichi. "Oh, well, uh," he stammered, looking down once again, "thanks, I guess."

"You don't forgive me?"

He looked back up at that, a hard look hidden beneath his timid demeanor, "No."

Kumiko expected to get angry, but instead, a sharp pang struck her heart. _Ouch._

"Not yet," he added. "I just…I can't right now. Sorry."

Kumiko nodded, understanding what he meant, even if it hurt her to do so.

It was then she realized that, even though Shuichi was the single most aggravating person in the world, he was still a large part of her life. She had watched him grow up alongside her, albeit reluctantly most of the time; and although she would never admit it, he was one of her closest friends. So, if he needed time, she would give it to him. It was the least she could do, after all.

Looking up at him with a melancholy smile, Kumiko did her best to ignore the guilt on her conscience, "Well, don't take too long. I need someone to bully, and you're a really good punching bag."

Despite the pain she was sure he felt in that moment, Shuichi laughed and said, "Sure, Ginger."

With that, he left, and he didn't look back.

* * *

"I still can't believe you did that," Kumiko said, her mouth full of fries. "I mean, I'm not complaining, but still."

Reina chuckled as she took a fry from her own plate, "I was just kissing you goodbye."

"Yeah, and marking your territory," the red-head said with a smirk.

A devious smile matching that of the girl across from her graced Reina's features as she shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kumiko hummed sarcastically, unable to wipe the smile from her face.

If someone had told her months before that she would be sitting across from Kousaka Reina, teasing one another about a _kiss_ , she would have told them to get their brain checked out.

She still couldn't process the day's events. Not only had she found out that Reina liked her back, had been one-sidedly dating her for weeks, _and_ gotten two kisses out of it all, but things were also unnervingly normal. Though there was a newfound comfort in their interactions, they were still doing that same things as always. It was as if nothing had changed whatsoever, yet everything had changed.

"So," Kumiko said, a slight blush forming on her cheeks, "what now?"

"Whatever you want," Reina replied cooly.

Kumiko pursed her lips, "What do _you_ want?"

Reina looked at the red-head with a spark in her eyes, "You."

If Kumiko had been drinking her soda, she was sure it would be all over the table after that. _Oh, boy,_ she thought, her mind feeling hazey, _she's dangerous._

"Well, you've already got that," she said, rubbing the back of her head, "so I guess we're good."

"I guess so."

The two locked eyes for a moment, both of them willingly losing sight of anything more than the eyes staring back. Unaware to them both, they had matching smiles plastered onto their faces.

It was a crazy thing, their love; even though it developed so differently for each of them, it was just as intense, just as real, just as exhilarating.

Kumiko - who had fallen for the girl she saw in class, the girl she thought could really be an angel, the girl with the stoic face but the sparkling eyes, the girl who teased her just as much as she ignored her, the girl who owned penguin-covered underwear and bunny slippers.

Reina - who had fallen for the girl who was right under her nose for months, the girl who couldn't go a day without saying something embarrassing, the girl with terrible manners but a heart of gold, the girl who never knew what to say, the girl whose hair caught fire to her heart.

They didn't know what would happen next, but that didn't bother them in the least. Every aspect of their love was unexpected, so it only made sense that their future would be full of surprises as well. However, as they sat across from one another, each drowning in the love they held for the other, Kumiko and Reina couldn't help but feel that, no matter how unexpected, their future would be something wonderful.

And, in a way, that was all thanks to a fire drill and a pair of penguin underwear.

* * *

 _Ending Themes:_

 _Kumiko ~ Hush - Magic City Hippies_

 _Reina ~ Jinx - DNCE_

 _Hazuki ~ Last Hope - Paramore_

 _Shuichi ~ All Alright - fun._

 _Taki-sensei ~ Eventually - Tame Impala_

 _Story Theme ~ Change - Moon Taxi_

* * *

 **A/N:**

 ***criez 4evr***

 **I just want to thank you all again for sticking with Penguin Underwear. I've written lots of stories before, but I always end up leaving them unfinished due to my own lack of interest - but this story was different. It's the first time I've finished a fic and been completely happy with it, and you guys definitely have a lot to do with that, so thank you.**

 **Pengun Underwear Playlist (Spotify):** **user/kringram1997/playlist/4N58q2eIej2y9EmVrNPwAE**


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